Horn Book Guide Reviews
Part of the fun of [cf2]Good Night, Gorilla[cf1] (Putnam) (besides watching animals escape behind a somnolent zookeeper's back, and saying ""Good night"" in seven different animal voices) is tracing the moonward progress of the balloon released from the gorilla's cage. In this board-book edition, the balloon is often hard to find or partially cropped out. Stick to the original picture book edition; it has the right format for its audience and is much better produced. Copyright 1998 Horn Book Guide Reviews
Horn Book Guide Reviews
Joe the zookeeper, clearly a kindly man, tiptoes home after saying an affectionate, but sleepy, good night to all of his animals; he fails to observe that Gorilla has pinched his keys from his back pocket. In a book economical in text and simple in illustration, the many amusing, small details, as well as the tranquil tone of the story, make this an outstanding picture book. Copyright 1998 Horn Book Guide Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
~ As the sleepy keeper bids him good night, Gorilla snitches his keys; then he creeps after him, letting the other animals out. In a lengthening parade that includes a mouse first seen taking one of Gorilla's bananas, they pad along behind the keeper like faithful dogs, enter his house, and curl up to snooze in his bedroom; Gorilla snuggles into bed next to the keeper's wife. The man is too drowsy to notice, but she does; taking Gorilla by the hand, she leads the whole parade back to the zoo with an air of resignation that suggests this has happened before. Gorilla certainly knows the ropes; he and the mouse (still toting the banana) follow her back, this time to settle in the middle of the bed. The amiable cartoon characters, vibrant palette, and affectionate tone of the author's art recall Thacher Hurd's cheerful illustrations. Delightful. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright 1999 Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly Reviews
"Universally understandable subject matter and a narrative conveyed almost entirely through pictures mark this as an ideal title for beginners," said PW. Ages 2-6. (May) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
Peggy Rathmann's Good Night, Gorilla returns as a hefty, oversize board book. Of this tale of a sneaky simian who escapes from the zoo, PW said, "Universally understandable subject matter and a narrative conveyed almost entirely through pictures mark this as an ideal title for beginners." Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
Universally understandable subject matter and a narrative conveyed almost entirely through pictures mark this as an ideal title for beginners. A zookeeper makes his nightly rounds, bidding good night to a gorilla, a lion, a giraffe and so on. He doesn't know that the gorilla has procured his keys and is unlocking each animal's cage; a jungly crowd files quietly behind the keeper as he walks home and crawls into bed. When his wife says, ``Good night, dear,'' seven voices reply, ``Good night,'' and it's up to the missus to return the mischievous menagerie. Although Rathmann's illustrations lack the artistic ingenuity she displayed in Ruby the Copycat and Bootsie Barker Bites , the author/artist connects with her audience on several levels. Children can identify with the animals, who have toys in their cages (the elephant has a plush Babar) and resist being left alone in their ``rooms'' all night; they will also enjoy some minor subplots. Some details prove questionable (for example, one overdrawn visage of Mrs. Zookeeper seems blurry, particularly because she's rendered with a few simple lines elsewhere), yet these considerations take a back seat to Rathmann's comic exuberance. Ages 3-6. ( Apr. ) Copyright 1994 Cahners Business Information.
School Library Journal Reviews
PreS-Gr 1-A mischievous little gorilla lifts the zoo keeper's keys on the first page of this sparely worded picture book. The brightly colored illustrations basically tell the entertaining story as the gorilla tags along behind the man, gleefully freeing all of the other animals, who then follow him single file into his neat little house. It is his unruffled wife who, without disturbing her sleepy husband, calmly returns the creatures to their cages. Even she, however, does not notice the wily gorilla, who, still in possession of the keys, returns to the house, slips into the big bed, and curls up contentedly between the people for the night. A clever, comforting bedtime story.-Jan Shepherd Ross, Dixie Elementary Magnet School, Lexington, KY Copyright 1994 Cahners Business Information.