Champ Thornton

***I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

This book is so sweet! The artwork is lovely and the message is clear, even for little ones: God made the night (dark) and He watches over us as we sleep; therefore there is nothing to fear. My kids love this book and all the colorful imagery. I imagine it will become a crucial part of our regular bedtime routine, especially as my two eldest children (4yo and 2yo) are both afraid of the dark. I would love to see more from this author and illustrator!… (más)

If your children are afraid of the dark and they dread going to bed, this is the perfect book for bedtime. In this sweet book a little girl aks her mother "why do we say good night?" because she doesn't like the dark. Her mother reminds her that God made the night as well as the day and that all He made was good. Mother also tells her that God watches over her both day and night.

Champ Thornton uses rhyming text to tell this story and illustrator Rommel Ruiz vividly shows what a little girl who doesn't like the dark might imagine she is seeing after the lights are out. It is, however, the emphasis on God's protection that I especially appreciated in Why Do We Say Good Night? As the little girl is almost asleep, we hear her mother saying "Good night, dear one--You need not fear. Good night, sleep well. The Lord is here...Good night."

This story is just the right length and the pictures are attention grabbers and I believe that this is the perfect book to share with your little ones as you put them to bed.

I received a copy of this book from New Growth Press but I wasn't obligated to write a positive review. These are my own opinions.… (más)

Both of my daughters (ages 4 and 7) enjoyed Why Do We Say Good Night? by Champ Thornton (author) and Rommel Ruiz (illustrator). For my younger child, I had to point to which character was speaking on the first read through because the text doesn’t explicitly state who is saying each line, but my older child could follow the narrative without assistance and tell by the word clues whether the mother or daughter was speaking.

In the story, the little girl fears what might lie in the darkness. Her mother gently encourages her to step away from her fear by embracing the truth that a loving God sees and protects her even when it’s dark. “Yet God sees all; his sight’s not dim. The dark is like bright light to him. So when it’s dark—with perfect sight—our God is watching through the night.”

Why Do We Say Good Night? has very unique and complex illustrations, but I was concerned my daughters might find some of the illustrations scary or unpleasant. Fortunately, my concern was unnecessary as neither of them were disturbed by the eyes and monsters.

I recommend Why Do We Say Good Night? to any Christian parent looking for a resource to reassure a child of God’s care and protection.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.… (más)