Good Night [Insert Location Here]

I really wish that I had come up with the concept behind the "Good Night World" series of books.

If you're not familiar with it, these books take a child through the day in a given geographical location, with cartoon-like pictures of kids and adults in various memorable locales.  The books frequently also take the child from sight to sight and/or from season to season.

For example, the book "Good Night California" starts out on what looks like a southern California beach and pier.  It then ranges through many of the geographies of California -- Hollywood, Yosemite, San Francisco, Mt. Whitney, Sacramento, a Central Vally-ish scene, etc.  The text is simple, and pretty engaging for little ones.

The authors/publisher clearly know they have a good thing going.  The "Good Night World" books have proliferated wildly -- there's Good Night Washington, DC.  That one progresses through the seasons, going from spring at the start of the book in the morning, through summer in the middle of the book, and ending with a set of snowy scenes at the end.  Some folks might like that; I got used to it.  Good Night New York (complete with construction workers building at Ground Zero).  Good Night Charleston.  Good Night New Jersey.  Etc, etc.

At one point a bit over a year ago, I was reading "Good Night Beach" (link below) to my son on a regular basis.  There's a line in there along the lines of, "Good night surfcasters, catching fish from the beach."  I vividly recall my son, just around his second birthday, whispering the words when he saw each page, before I read them -- including the bit about the surfcasters (I am not a surfcaster, and I don't think I had used the word before reading the book).  He had memorized the text.  

Anyway, given the many, many hours I've spent reading these books with my son, this series has a special place in my heart.

--TC Daddy