Goodnight Goat - Bonnwit Kabrit: a Haitian bedtime story

by Elizabeth Turnbull, Erin Vaganos (Illustrator)

Overview

In this delightful, rhyming bedtime story, children journey across Haiti, saying goodnight to scenes the nation's children would know from their daily lives. From the calico cat to the pink flowers of the bouganvillea to the sweet goat nestled beneath the starry sky, children will embark on an exciting bedtime journey as one by one they say, bonnwit. Words of Haitian Creole are sprinkled throughout the text to expand children's vocabulary and introduce them to a new language. A helpful pronunciation guide at the back teaches readers how to say the words aloud.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611530735
Publisher:	Li Li Books
Publication date:	10/29/2013
Pages:	36
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Elizabeth Turnbull was born and raised in Haiti where she grew up surrounded by the people andlandscapes of Say to These Mountains.After graduating from Quisqueya Christian School, in Port-au-Prince, Elizabeth went on to study Spanish and Journalism at Wake Forest University and received her MA in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from Florida International University.As a "Third Culture Kid," she sees herself as living between two worlds, never fully belonging to one or the other. She's spent a lifetime trying to reconcile those worlds, to help both sides understand one another. Writing, she believes, is the best tool she has for that.She is the author of three children's books: Janjak and Freda Go to the Iron Market, Janjak and Freda go to the Citadelle, and Bonnwit Kabrit.Elizabeth lives on a budding farm inHillsborough, NC, with her husband Roberto Copa Matos. Connect with her online at lightmessages.com/elizabeth-turnbull. Follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest @ejturnbull and on Facebook at elizabethjturnbull.

Editorial Reviews

2013-09-15
The title of this bedtime book (which borrows both theme and rhythms from Goodnight Moon) means "Goodnight Goat," and the story is set in different parts of a peaceful, happy Haiti, unlike the country many know only from scenes of disaster on television. Haitian Creole words are used within the rhyming text as a woman--a mother or grandmother--and a little boy walk around house and yard to say good night: "Bonnwit zandolit on the bannan tree"; "Bonnwit bourik at the creek." Even without the glossary, readers will be able to guess that zandolit means lizard and bourik means donkey from the illustrations. Deeply tinted watercolors have a bit of the look of animated cartoons and show the varied landscapes of the Caribbean country, from the mountains to the sea. As in the great green room, all is calm, but there's a little more life around, as the granmoun (an elderly person according to the glossary) sleeps on his mat in the lakou (yard), and the waves come to "meet the shore." With so very few books about Haiti for young children available, this appealingly modest effort is well worth acquiring. Bonnwit. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews

"Well worth acquiring." -Kirkus Reviews

"Beautiful illustrations show tints from blues to browns and reds gradually darkening into the night, inviting sleep. Bonnwit Kabrit is a lovely bicultural bedtime story for young children everywhere." -The Midwest Book Review

In this delightful, rhyming bedtime story, children journey across Haiti, saying goodnight to scenes the nation's children would know from their daily lives. From the calico cat to the pink flowers of the bouganvillea to the sweet goat nestled beneath the starry sky, children will embark on an exciting bedtime journey as one by one they say, bonnwit.

INDIES Foreword Review Book of the Year finalist

From the Publisher