AP Features, March 12th, 2007
Here's a way for little ones to hold on to vacation memories or just get ready for bed in a new place.
A new series of boardbooks for little ones called "Good Night Our World" celebrates and recalls the highlights of visiting or even living in or near places ranging from New York City and San Francisco to beloved vacation destinations like Cape Cod and Florida.
The series began with "Good Night Cape Cod," which starts off by asking, "Good morning, Cape Cod Canal and bridges. Are we ready for a wonderful day?" The book evokes everything from fishermen to whales to playing in the sand, and bids good night to the seals and the lighthouse before giving thanks for the day.
Some of the books, like the one for Atlanta, can even serve as inspiration for an itinerary for a family trip. The book mentions Piedmont Park, rafting on the Chattahoochee River, visiting the King Center devoted to Martin Luther King Jr., the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Centennial Olympic Park, Zoo Atlanta, the Georgia Aquarium, Stone Mountain, and the Fernbank Museum of Natural History.
Other titles out now in the series include Boston, New York City, Florida, Maine, Washington, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Diego and San Francisco. There's also a "Good Night America."
Due out in May are "Good Night Beach" and "Good Night Zoo" along with books about Denver, Hawaii, Los Angeles, Martha's Vineyard, Montreal, Nantucket, Seattle, Toronto, and Vermont.
The series is not connected to the famed "Goodnight Moon," written by Margaret Wise Brown, and the text of the new books does not pretend to approach the hypnotic poetry that made Brown's book a classic since its 1947 publication.
But the new series is appealing as a way to connect children to images of places they know and love. Of note are the charming illustrations, which are colorful, simple and evocative, with a particular emphasis on depicting families of all ethnic backgrounds.
The books are $9.95 apiece, published by Our World of Books. For more details or to order, visit http://www.goodnightourworld.com.
