Goodnight Manger

Every once in awhile  I stumble across an author who becomes a "go-to" for our family bookshelves.

Most recently, we've fallen in love with the stunning pairing of Laura Sassi and Jane Chapman.

A few weeks ago, I had the joy of reviewing Goodnight Ark which has become a fast favourite in our home, so I was equally excited to have the chance to dive into their newest offering Goodnight Manger.

Goodnight Manger follows the story of Baby Jesus' first night on earth. All snuggled up in the manger it's time to sleep except . . . things are way too noisy. How is anybody supposed to sleep?

First of all, I love Jane Chapman's illustrations. She has a knack for finding a balance between friendly and appealing for children while still be inviting for the parents who get to read their children's books over and over again. I loved how warm and vibrant the images were, leaping off the pages in a way that complements the story perfectly. Chapman also showed some brave creativity by not conforming to norms when it comes for illustrations in a Christmas book. Her lively angels and appropriate ethnicities were a welcome change.

The story itself was exactly what I expected. Geared towards ages 4 through 8 younger siblings will be equally charmed by the fun, rhyming pattern through which the Christmas story is unfolding in a unique way. Much like their earlier Goodnight Ark, Goodnight Manger uses lots of action and movement in its words allowing parents to come up with their own actions to make story time as interactive as they choose (a valuable tool in our house as we work to overcome our son's speech delay and actions are currently our best tool!)

Christmas is one of my favourite times of year but I can easily see Goodnight Manger being requested no matter the month.

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.”