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Book Summary

Reviewed by Mary Dixon Weidler

As a fire crackles in the fireplace and the moon rises in a wintry night sky outside the windows of his bedroom, a young rabbit settles down for the night. An old lady rabbit rocks quietly in a nearby chair knitting, mittens dry in front of the fire, two kittens tumble on the carpet, and a mouse peeks out. The room grows gradually dimmer as the rabbit says goodnight to each object in his room and outside the window, then falls asleep at last.

Is It Any Good?

5

For more than 50 years this has been the ultimate going-to-bed book, the first book parents share with their children, the book kids ask for again and again, and the one parents don't mind reading again and again. It's easy to see why -- author Margaret Wise Brown and illustrator Clement Hurd do everything right. The pictures are full of interesting details -- the paintings hanging on the wall in bunny's room are of scenes from another Brown-Hurd collaboration, The Runaway Bunny.

The book is smaller than many picture books, just the right size for young hands to hold. The colors are simple and vivid, gradually getting dimmer in the room as the night sky gets brighter outside the window. The rhythm is slow and calming, the rhymes are soft, the ritual of bidding good night to the familiar objects in the room is appealing.

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