Sleepytime How-To! Good Night Like This by Mary Murphy

YAWNY AND DOZY,
TWITCHY AND COZY,
GOOD NIGHT, LITTLE RABBIT.

Little ones meet sleep in many ways, in Mary Murphy's adorable little book in praise of drowsing off to dreamland, in her Good Night Like This (Candlewick Press, 2016).

FLITTY AND SHINY,

FLASHY AND TINY

GOOD NIGHT, FIREFLIES. SLEEP TIGHT.

Author Murphy uses evocative rhyming adjectives to describe how a variety of creatures go to rest, some at night, and some, like the firefly, snuggled safely away during the day. Beetles, bears, and birds, kittens and caterpillars, frogs and fireflies, most have Mama close by to wish them a "Good night"or a "Sleep tight" to ease the way to sleep. Artist Murphy's two-page spreads of each creature settling down to sleep are lovely, with parent and child shown in soft, muted shades of brown or gray, with textured blackline outlines, a glowing pastel sunset, (or in the case of the firefly, a dawn), or a twilight or deep night, with their chosen resting place shown surrounded with silhouetted flora set against the blue or purple sky. Each double-page spread also has a half-page flap, in which a turn reveals the young one drowsing off to a sweet wish for a sweet sleep. Soft and gentle text and illustrations set the mood magically for going gently into a good night, which is, after all, what all parents wish.

"Move over, Goodnight Moon. There's a new star on the bedtime bookshelf," says Kirkus in its starred review.