As a little boy says goodnight to the things and people in his world, he remembers to offer a thankful nighttime prayer to God. Goodnight Angels gently draws children to sleep as it reminds them that God is watching over them. It's a sweet bedtime story told in the classic tradition and filled with a spiritual heart.

Goodnight, rubber duckie. Thank you for the scrub. Goodnight to the bubbles, Sliding down the tub. As a little boy says goodnight to the things and people in his world, he remembers to offer a thankful nighttime prayer to God. Goodnight Angels gently draws children to sleep as it reminds them that God is watching over them. It's a sweet bedtime story told in the classic tradition and filled with a spiritual heart.

Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books for teens, women, and children. Before publishing, Melody traveled around the world, volunteered in teen ministry, taught preschool, raised two sons, and worked briefly in interior design and later in international adoption. 'I think real-life experiences inspire the best fiction,' she says. Her wide variety of books seems to prove this theory. Sophie Allsopp grew up in a small English village and Hong Kong, where she enjoyed living in a hotel and going to school on a tram. She spent her spare time making miniature houses full of tiny furniture and people, but stopped when she had a town full. Now her spare time is spent making jewelry and occasional small creatures out of felt, and for twenty years she's illustrated for a wide range of clients around the world. Sophie lives in the south east of England with her husband, son, cat, and a grumpy white guinea pig call Stanley.

In the children's picture book Goodnight, Angels by Melody Carlson, a young boy is like most kids going to bed – he wants to drag it out. So, he says goodnight to everything his eyes land on. It's, "Good night to my kitty, sleeping on a rug. Good night to my doggy. Here's a big hug." This progresses through snacks, the kitchen, his rubber duckie and bathtub, his toothbrush and rinse cup, and his teddy bear and slippers. Finally, he says a real good night to his dad, his mom, and to God in prayer, asking that the angels watch over him.

The artwork by British illustrator Sophie Allsopp is not overly dynamic, just pencil lines and basic watercolors, but the illustrations are functional, and they are detailed enough so that young readers will have a genuine sense of place in each scene. Each page features a rhymed couplet. Unfortunately, the metre is stilted and lacks proper cadence, as in, "My eyes are getting sleepy. Good night to the angels watching over me." "Sleepy" has two syllables and, thus, does not rhythmically rhyme with "me," and the rhythm pattern of the sentences are totally out of synchronization. Fortunately for the author, kids are not literary analysts (although many of us parents and grandparents are).

This is a quick-read story that is not heavy on theology, just something designed to reflect the thoughts and actions of a child in an entertaining manner. – Dr. Dennis E. Hensley, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com

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