Goodnight Ark

Instilling a love a reading can be difficult when your family consists of very active little boys. Although we've worked hard to incorporate reading from day one - some days our oldest is content to cuddle and have story time while others he'd prefer to spin around, run, jump, and climb until he crashes in some way.

This is why I'm in love with Goodnight Ark by Laura Sassi and Jane Chapman.
This book has verbal movement and imagery as vibrant as my boys while still being a fun read for my husband and I if our son decides that all three bedtime stories should consist of the same book.

Goodnight Ark follows the story of Noah and his ark full of animals at bedtime. As the storm rages on outside, the animals slowly become frightened and, two by two, make their way to Noah's bed for safety but just how many animals can fit into one little bed?

Sassi has included a lot of verbal tricks and quirks to help keep kids interested while giving parents something fun to read out loud. With pages full of rhymes, alliteration, and active sounds to recite there is plenty to entice kids to keep paying attention. Chapman manages to support the narrative beautifully with colourful and engaging pictures, which was a pleasant surprise given the story was set at night (dark) and in the ark (lots of browns).
The humour Sassi throws into Goodnight Ark adds to its undeniable charm while the ending is sufficiently sweet to help usher my own kids into their nighttime routine.


This is truly a book the whole family can enjoy (my husband even stopped what he was doing to finish listening to the story.) and would make a perfect birthday or Christmas gift (yep, I went there).

5 out of 5 stars


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”