Good Night! , and: Spoonful! by Benoit Marchon (review)

Each title in this pair of board books features a single die-cut shape that extends through all the pages to reveal a face from the last page. In Good Night!, the face of a baby peeks through each egg-shaped opening, and the surrounding picture coordinates with a sweet or whimsical endearment: “Good night, my little fox”; “Good night, my shrimp”; “ . . . my sunshine”; “ . . . my dumpling”; “ . . . my little bug.” The pictures are the soul of simplicity, a dreamy wisp of a figure afloat on a contrasting colored backgrounds of sky blues, ruby reds, and sunny yellows. By the final page, the baby (now revealed in a heart-printed sleeper) is still in no mood to sleep, calling out “Again!” in a word bubble. But don’t give up there: the back cover says “Good night, my love,” and baby’s finally off to the Land of Nod. Spoonful! attempts similar encouragement for mealtime, with the shape of a head in profile, mouth wide open for the next bite of food. There’s a spoonful for Mommy, for the fish, for the astronaut, for the worm in the dirt, for the superhero, and finally for an enthusiastic toddler, who accepts the kudos, “Hooray! You ate it all!” The backgrounds here are a bit more detailed, featuring objects toddlers are sure to recognize (fire engines, flowers, etc), adding to the visual appeal. The inclusion of a spoon in each of the spreads would have made this effort more successful, but the sheer number of diners suggested here should nonetheless urge finicky eaters on through even a robust meal.