Good Night, Mr. Night

by Dan Yaccarino

Each evening as gentle Mr. Night walks the earth closing the flowers, soothing the animals, and calming the sea, he brings a special magic to the world. When you see him at your window, you’ll know it’s time for bed. . . . This magical book celebrates the quiet mystery, warmth, and comfort of nighttime.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Storytime

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Exhibitions of his work have been held throughout the world. He is also the creator of the animated TV Series Willa's Wild Life and Oswald.

Mr. Yaccarino lives in New York City with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book for children...especially for a child who is afraid of the dark.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Night, Mr. Night is a story told by a young boy about Mr. Night, he who helps the world settle into sleep when the sun goes down. The boy describes each activity Mr. Night does each night such as closing the flowers, quieting the animals, and calming the sea. The illustrations are surprisingly bright for a bedtime book with vibrant oranges, reds, greens, and blues; however, this only helps emphasize Mr. Night even more with his pitch-black and twinkling star-filled body. This book is definitely a unique and appealing bedtime story that will surely help calm, sooth, and lull little ones to sleep, and when they wake in the morning as the sun rises they can say “Good Night, Mr. Night” themselves just as the little boy does.

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

creepy book! Matthew seemed ok with it, but Dan and I despised it.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. It's a great visual explanation of what night is like.

[Jennifer Brinkmeyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool illustrations, but perpetuates a world-is-flat mentality so common in children's books.

[Spencer Browning · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a cute way to get ready for sleep and i enjoyed the illustrations as well!

[Sam Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really did it for me. It's just the right length for reading aloud to a baby, the text is lovely, and the pictures are good. What I liked best, though, was that the soothing jobs of Mr. Night are the kinds of things that are more frequently identified with maternal femininity. In short, I thought this was a great one for people interested in normalizing less oppressive gender expectations. Even though I already own Yuyi Morales's book Nochecita, I think I'm gonna add this to the to-own shelf.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is calm and sweet making it a perfect bedtime story. I met Mr. Yaccarino at a conference and was amazed at his wide talent. He wrote this book in 16 minutes at Starbucks while pitching his artwork. The illustrations are mostly bold and bright, while Mr. Night is dark and starry. Great contrast.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this would be good for preschool or toddler story time. I read it in my preschool story time and the kids enjoyed it. They really engaged with the pictures. I really like the calming, soothing text and pictures. Dan Yaccarino was an author/illustrator I had never heard of before becoming a children's librarian and now I just love him!

[Cath Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful book about Mr. Night who puts the world to bed and helps children fall asleep. When hour by nightly hour you are hoping to fall asleep, wouldn't you wish for a Mr. Night? I'm convinced he would come in if only he knew you were waiting for him. Maybe I'll try looking at the lovely drawings next time I lie waiting for sleep.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my very favorite children's books. A gift from Victoria - thank you! I read this to Jonah at bedtime about once a week. Great story, fantastic pictures. Short, sweet, simple, good. I never tire of it.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mother doesn't get this book (she calls it "The Mister Death Book"!), but my nieces enjoy it and I love it.

Very calm, very repetitive, introducing a friendly (NOT DEATH-LIKE!) nighttime character to lull everybody to sleep.

[Kaethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fabulous going-to-bed book for toddlers or preschoolers. The art is bold, and yet, soothing. The personage of Mr. Night is so clever, with all the stars and the moon. It reminds me of "Goodnight Moon" without being annoying.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 1 year old loves this book! He calls out, "moon moon" to request it. While reading the book, he likes to taps the pictures like Mr. Night does. The illustrations are beautiful and the story is relaxing.

[Trinka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most wonderful bedtime story for teeny weeny ones!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My three-year-old's new favorite bedtime read. She also has the stuffed Mr. Night doll that she sleeps with to remind her to stay in bed until Mr Night goes to sleep! ; )

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best bedtime story I have ever read! Absolute favorite with my students.