When I visited the zoo with a friend this spring, she was totally delighted by her newborn's resemblance to the baby monkeys. At the time, I thought this was a little weird. But now I have to admit that there's something endearing about babies' monkey-like traits -- and that something is totally captured by Goodnight, Me (Bloomsbury 2007). The book, written by Andrew Daddo and illustrated by Emma Quay, follows the bedtime ritual of the world's cutest baby orangutan. On every page, he says goodnight to a different body part -- "Goodnight, feet!" -- and gives it a little acknowledgement -- "Thanks for holding my legs together, knees!" Just as he's coaxed all his body parts to sleep, a mom-or-dad orangutan comes in to kiss him goodnight. Goodnight, Me is a can't-lose bedtime book; the adorable primate (drawn with pastels) is rendered large on each page, so his charming expressions will mesmerize even the littlest readers. And it's nicely gender-neutral: is the ape a boy or girl? Is the parent a mom or dad? You and your child can draw your own conclusions.
