Good night, laila tov

by Laurel Snyder, Jui Ishida (Illustrator)

Overview

A family trip turns into an adventure of discovery for a curious and carefree sister and brother. While the two explore the natural wonders of the seashore, woods, and fields, their parents plant trees as an offering of thanks for all they have received. In Jewish tradition, this is called tikkun olam, or repairing the world. As the children settle down to sleep, they are lulled by the soothing sounds around them that become the refrain: "good night, laila tov"—the same comforting words in English and Hebrew that their parents recite to them every night at bedtime.

Laurel Snyder's lilting poem is both a song of praise to the beauty of nature and a gentle lullaby. Jui Ishida's rich, jewel-tone illustrations illuminate the text and incorporate details that readers will love to discover.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780375899393
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	03/27/2012
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

When she's not out exploring the great green world with her kids, the indefatiguable LAUREL SNYDER writes picture books, among them Nosh, Schlep, Schluff: BabYiddish; Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to Be Kosher; and Inside the Slidy Diner, as well as the novels Bigger than a Breadbox, Penny Dreadful, Any Which Wall, and Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains. Originally from Baltimore, she now makes her home in Atlanta, conveniently close to an urban farm and a kudzu-tangled creek. Visit her at LaurelSnyder.com

JUI ISHIDA was born in Taiwan and raised in Japan. She studied illustration at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and graduated with distinction. She has illustrated many children's books including Somewhere So Sleepy by Diane Muldrow, Sail Away, Little Boat by Janet Buell, and God Created by Mark Francisco Bozzuti-Jones. Jui lives in Long Beach, California, with her husband and two children.

Editorial Reviews

PreS-Gr 1—A family embarks on a camping trip, traveling by car to a beach, a meadow, and a forest. Each night the children are lulled to sleep by the sounds of the waves, the sky, the rain, and the road, with the repeated English and Hebrew refrain, "Good night, laila tov…." But, when they return home, it is their parents who fall asleep exhausted on the couch. The text is lyrical and poetic, and the bright illustrations blend realism with whimsy, brilliantly depicting the beauty and serenity that the children discover in nature. Despite the small hints at the family's Jewish heritage-a Star of David necklace, a tzedakah (charity) box, a menorah—the inclusion of the Hebrew phrase is irrelevant. It could have just as easily been in any other language or left out entirely. With lighthearted elements of humor ("We stopped for dinner, stopped to see…Stopped again so I could pee"), the book takes readers on an inspiring, well-written, rhyming journey.—Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL

School Library Journal

On a camping vacation that takes two Jewish children and their parents from the beach, where “Tall grasses swayed. The salty air/ Was soft and still and everywhere,” to “a place so great and green,/ The deepest field we’ve ever seen,” the family savors the gifts of nature and the rewards of environmental stewardship. (Mom and Dad have even brought along some trees to plant.) And in return, the whole world offers a kind of thanks and blessing that becomes Snyder’s (Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to Be Kosher) refrain: “And the sky sang... Good night, laila tov.” Ishida (Somewhere So Sleepy) portrays a world that’s all soft, lush colors and comfy, cushy contours. Her sunset scenes, which find the siblings sleeping while their parents set up camp, are perhaps a little too similar to those taking place in broad daylight (and some readers may wonder why the children spend so much of their vacation asleep). But the warmly lit spreads and loving, rosy-cheeked family are a nice match for Snyder’s simple, lulling verse. Ages 3–6. Agent: Tina Wexler, ICM. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

The wonder of the natural world becomes more meaningful through active engagement with it. A young family's camping vacation makes two significant overnight stops, one at the seaside and one further inland in a lush green field. As parents set up tents, brother and sister feel the hot sand, marvel at the wide waves, breathe in the salty air and hear the wind's English/Hebrew whisper of "good night, laila tov." Similarly, while parents plant new tree seedlings in the field, children gather berries, are awed by field mice, surprised by bees and ultimately fall asleep to the rhythmic pattern of rain that mimics the "good night, laila tov" message. Bright, often full double-page scenes in deeply rich, opaque hues on textured paper bring out the natural essence of this sweet bedtime piece told in lilting rhyme. "We drove out to the oceanside. / The sand was hot. The waves were wide. / Tall grasses swayed. The salty air / Was soft and still and everywhere." The continual assurance of its repetitive refrain, found on every other page, complements the theme of caring for nature's beauty. Though the Judaic concept of tikkun olam, or repairing the world, is not explicitly stated within the text, it pervades the whole. A wholesome and gentle story that's pleasant and soothing for little ones of all faiths, though it will have extra resonance in Jewish households. (Picture book. 2-4)

Kirkus Reviews