Good Night, Gorilla

( 65 )

Overview


Good night, Gorilla.
Good night, Elephant.

It's bedtime at the zoo, and all the animals are going to sleep. Or are they? Who's that short, furry guy with the key in his hand and the mischievous grin?

Good night, Giraffe.
Good night, ...

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More About This Book

Overview


Good night, Gorilla.
Good night, Elephant.

It's bedtime at the zoo, and all the animals are going to sleep. Or are they? Who's that short, furry guy with the key in his hand and the mischievous grin?

Good night, Giraffe.
Good night, Hyena.

Sneak along behind the zookeeper's back, and see who gets the last laugh in this riotous good-night romp.

An unobservant zookeeper is followed home by all the animals he thinks he has left behind in the zoo.

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Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble
Unaware that a gorilla has stolen his keys, a zookeeper wishes all the animals good-night and sets off for home. A troupe of newly freed beasts follow the sleepy keeper back to his house and into his bed. When the keeper's wife wakes to wish her husband good-night, many good-night wishes come back to her from out of the dark!
Publishers Weekly
Peggy Rathmann's Good Night, Gorilla returns as a hefty, oversize board book. Of this tale of a sneaky simian who escapes from the zoo, PW said, "Universally understandable subject matter and a narrative conveyed almost entirely through pictures mark this as an ideal title for beginners." Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
Universally understandable subject matter and a narrative conveyed almost entirely through pictures mark this as an ideal title for beginners. A zookeeper makes his nightly rounds, bidding good night to a gorilla, a lion, a giraffe and so on. He doesn't know that the gorilla has procured his keys and is unlocking each animal's cage; a jungly crowd files quietly behind the keeper as he walks home and crawls into bed. When his wife says, ``Good night, dear,'' seven voices reply, ``Good night,'' and it's up to the missus to return the mischievous menagerie. Although Rathmann's illustrations lack the artistic ingenuity she displayed in Ruby the Copycat and Bootsie Barker Bites , the author/artist connects with her audience on several levels. Children can identify with the animals, who have toys in their cages the elephant has a plush Babar and resist being left alone in their ``rooms'' all night; they will also enjoy some minor subplots. Some details prove questionable for example, one overdrawn visage of Mrs. Zookeeper seems blurry, particularly because she's rendered with a few simple lines elsewhere, yet these considerations take a back seat to Rathmann's comic exuberance. Ages 3-6. Apr.
Children's Literature
In this nearly wordless book young children will have a good laugh as they watch the zookeeper making his rounds and wishing the animals all goodnight. The clever gorilla has swiped the zookeeper's keys and as he visits each cage, he opens it and lets the animal out. As the keeper heads for home, the animals all follow along and join him and his wife for a good night's sleep. Or so it seems until the zookeeper's wife realizes that something has gone wrong when she hears a chorus of goodnights. She takes the animals back to the zoo, but our crafty gorilla is not one to be outdone. In this oversized board book, the large illustrations convey all of the detail and humor—from the lion licking its lips over a bone to the mouse pulling a banana that shows up again and again until it is finally just a banana skin on the very last page. 2004 (orig. 1994), Putnam, Ages 3 to 6.
—Marilyn Courtot
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 1-A mischievous little gorilla lifts the zoo keeper's keys on the first page of this sparely worded picture book. The brightly colored illustrations basically tell the entertaining story as the gorilla tags along behind the man, gleefully freeing all of the other animals, who then follow him single file into his neat little house. It is his unruffled wife who, without disturbing her sleepy husband, calmly returns the creatures to their cages. Even she, however, does not notice the wily gorilla, who, still in possession of the keys, returns to the house, slips into the big bed, and curls up contentedly between the people for the night. A clever, comforting bedtime story.-Jan Shepherd Ross, Dixie Elementary Magnet School, Lexington, KY
Ilene Cooper
In this limited-word picture book, a gorilla follows the zookeeper as he says good-night to his charges. What the zookeeper doesn't know is that the mischievous gorilla has snatched his keys and is letting out the animals almost as fast as the zookeeper can lock them up. The animals follow him to his house and into the bedroom, where, in an amusing pitch-black spread, a pair of worried wide-open eyes let the zookeeper's wife know that she and her husband are not alone. Jaunty four-color artwork carries the story and offers more with every look.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780399230035
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
  • Publication date: 2/28/1996
  • Pages: 34
  • Sales rank: 16,903
  • Age range: 1 - 2 Years
  • Product dimensions: 6.60 (w) x 4.91 (h) x 0.90 (d)

Read an Excerpt

Good night, Gorilla

By Peggy Rathmann

G. P. Putnam's Sons

Copyright © 1994 Peggy Rathmann All right reserved.
ISBN: 0-399-23003-3

Chapter One

Good night, Gorilla.

Good night, Elephant.

Good night Hyena.

Good night, Giraffe.

Good night, Armadillo.

Good night, dear.

Good night.

Good night.

Good night.

Good night.

Good night.

Good night

Good night.

Good night, zoo.

Good night, dear.

Good night.

Good night, GorilLa.

Zzzz.

Good night, Lion.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Good night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann Copyright © 1994 by Peggy Rathmann. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 65 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(47)

4 Star

(10)

3 Star

(4)

2 Star

(3)

1 Star

(1)

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 65 Customer Reviews

  • Posted October 23, 2008

    I Also Recommend:

    Ladybug Baby Bug

    Wonderful Bedtime Story

    Good Night Gorilla is full of action and fun. A great bedtime story that features cute illustrations of the animals. My sons love the book and and I'm sure your children would love it, too.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 13, 2005

    Best Book For Toddlers

    This was the first book my 15 month old picked up and he hasn't put it down. We've gone through atleast 4 copies of the book in 6 months because of the wear and tear he puts on the book!! He 'reads' it himself and also has anyone around read it to him.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted January 30, 2010

    Let your wee ones "read it" to you!

    A fun and funny story your child will want again and again. With few words and engaging pictures, children can easily read it with you. It's a great bedtime book! As a plus, track the red balloon on each page.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 25, 2008

    Wonderful Bedtime Story

    This is just the most precious bedtime story yet. All the action going on with each page and the illustrations are great. My son loves this book and I'm sure you will, too.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted June 26, 2007

    Read it again!

    Your child will want to read this over and over, and each time you can point out new things. My three year old son has loved this since he was one and my 18-month old daughter giggles every time she sees the eyes in the dark. You can have fun making different voices for all the animals, and finding the red balloon throughout the book as it sails toward the crescent moon.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted June 16, 2007

    Wonderful discovery book

    Though this book has very few words, it is a wonderful book to discover characters and action through pictures by asking what are they doing or counting the animals. Love to read it just before nap or bedtime. The best part is finding the mouse and the banana!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 21, 2006

    It's a different story every night!

    My 14 month old and I LOVE this book! When I first looked at it, I thought 'there are no words!' but now I realize the VALUE in that: I get to make up a different story every night! It's also nice that I can make the story a quick one or take my time and make up some grand tale! It's currently our favorite bedtime book.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 3, 2004

    Huh?! Fun for Mommy and kiddos!!

    My 23-month-old loves this book. Her favorite page is when the zookeeper's wife reacts to all the 'good nights' that she hears in the dark...as if she's saying 'HUH?' I often hear her 'reading' the book after I've tucked her in for the night. Mom's favorite part is seeing all the animals' stuffed animals (like the Babar in the elephant's cage) a cute touch!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 23, 2002

    Got banana?

    Probably the most read book in our daughter's library for a six-month period, and she still pulls it out every now and then even though she's a first-grader and reading on her own. She just loves it. Highly recommended.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 5, 2013

    great book for 2 year old

    got this for our 2 year old daughter and she LOVES IT! This author is great! We are also big fans of the 10 minutes to bed book

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 4, 2013

    My little ones enjoy all the beautiful illustrations in this boo

    My little ones enjoy all the beautiful illustrations in this book.  I have a two year old and a baby.  It doesn't have very many words, so I think it is best enjoyed with a verbal toddler or preschooler.  That surprised me because I originally bought it for the baby.  It is a great book to talk through and it makes us laugh.  I particularly like the lap-sized board book.  It really does make it easier to read to both boys at once.

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  • Posted April 5, 2012

    I babysit and the kids I watch are obsessed with this book! It's

    I babysit and the kids I watch are obsessed with this book! It's a very good children's book.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 26, 2011

    My favorite gift!

    I am a children's librarian and this is my favorite book to give as a baby gift. I also love The Monster at the End of This Book.

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  • Posted February 18, 2011

    Not a fan of the near wordless books.

    I was so disappointed when we cracked open our new copy of Good Night Gorilla and discovered a short, near wordless book. I wish a review would have spelled that out a little more. It's nearly mommy-abuse thinking up a new story every day. My son is amused by it- I think it's just for younger kids. At least I've warned some parents.

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  • Posted June 1, 2010

    A very cute book

    This is the cutest story and a great book! The illustrations are so great. This is a really cute baby shower gift, you can give the board book version to make it last for a small child. This is such a cute book about the zoo keeper who leaves the gorilla cage unlocked and he follows the zoo keeper home. The wife is hilarious. You will really enjoy the bright colors of the illustrations. There aren't many words in this book and few words are needed. You will love this one!

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  • Posted May 5, 2010

    A very fun read with very few words. Great pictures. Lots to look at!

    This book is fantastic because there aren't a whole lot of words. That means that your child can read the book to you!! It's also a great tool for learning animal sounds, talking about animals, colors, and the chances of a gorilla actually getting ahold of the keys for each cage to let the animals out.

    I find it hilarious that the wife of the zoo keeper takes all the animals back as he "overlooks" the fact that all the animals followed him home. Look at the mouse with the banana on each page and follow the balloons flight. There are so many details to this book!! It's a great read for little ones, even after the 20th time of going through it.

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  • Posted March 20, 2010

    A kids classic

    Our kids love animals and the zoo, so this book is a favorite.

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  • Posted March 12, 2010

    I Also Recommend:

    Oh, David!: A Diaper David Book

    Great book for imaginative youngsters.

    There are few words in the book, so you and your child are left to fill in the narrative. It can be as funny as you like and the cheeky gorilla and his friends always please.

    Since there are so few words, even children just starting out feel they can read a full book all by themselves.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 20, 2010

    Great for toddlers!

    My two-year-old loves this book. He loves to see the "naughty gorilla" let his animal friends out of the zoo and sneak into the zookeeper's home. He adores this silly little book.

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  • Posted January 16, 2010

    My toddler's favorite

    Goodnight Gorilla is a wonderful children's classic that is engaging for the littlest children and as they grow, they discover more and more details within this delightful story. A cute gorilla snatches the zookeeper's keys and lets his friends out for a bedtime cuddle at the zookeeper's house across from the zoo. Mama has to take everyone back to bed. Very cute, very addictive, and we've been through three copies already because it is so well loved.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
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