Good Night

The children’s story Good Night by Natalia Padilla is about a young girl’s journey through day and night. Mary embarks on adventures both in her dreams and in real life; she plays on the clouds, enjoys her favorite things, and meets impressive people. Through it all, she has a smile on her face and everything positive to say. Mary immerses herself in activities not commonly thought of among young children, such as playing piano and having fanboys.

Mary invites her readers to play a song titled Good Night using the keys A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Mary spends time with friends in a place with an elevator and understands the correct use of a comma after the appropriate word in a sentence. Mary enjoys the little things, such as sleeping under the stars at night and being outside with nature. Mary also knows how and when to end a story by notifying her readers of its end.

Padilla’s portrayal of Mary’s positivity is infectious, making this reviewer’s mood stay and continue to be positive throughout her story. Mary doesn’t come across situations too deep or difficult to explain to children, which is a relief in today’s world. It is calming to read about simplicity in a character’s life and nothing but happiness happening; there is too much complexity today.

As much as I enjoyed the story, I had difficulty following along the first couple of times I read it. Not fully grasping its simplicity, I was expecting a more complex storyline not found in the pages. After taking some time to research the author and clear my head, I developed a better understanding of the author’s vision. Incredibly, the author was a mere nine years old when she wrote this story some years ago, and she also composed the song included in the book!

Padilla has created a world appropriate for any age reader by striving to bring enjoyment to her readers as well as education. This reviewer was not initially aware of what a fanboy is, so this section seemed odd and out of place from the rest of the story, especially when it comes immediately after the story about the piano. I researched what a fanboy is and read about her mission to educate her readers, and then it made sense, although there could be a better segue.

While reading Good Night, I kept comparing her writing to that of Dr. Seuss; both styles include rhyming and some out-of-the-box ideas. Who am I to say something because it’s not my style, but I can say that with Good Night I feel comfortable reading it to my kids and letting their imaginations run wild.