Good Night, Gorilla

An excellent example of working the illustrations in a picture book to their maximum effect. This story is about a clever gorilla who sneaks out of the zoo at night. He snags the keys off the zookeeper's belt as the man passes, and lets himself out of his cage. Then he silently follows along behind the zookeeper, releasing each animal just after the zookeeper wishes it good night. By the time the man is leaving the zoo to head to his own house, a quiet chain of animals is following along behind him, starting with the gorilla and including such beasties as a lion, a giraffe, and a hyena. They continue with him all the way into his house, to his bedroom, and sleep on his floor, all without notice - until his wife says good night, and she show more gets far more than just one reply back. This charmingly quirky story is told almost entirely without words. The author uses no text except brief words in dialogue boxes, and that consists of the two words, good night (actually, the mouse says a bit more, in tiny font). The story is cleverly delivered through the pictures, and the expressions on the character's faces, and the interaction with the audience. For instance, the surprise on the zookeeper's wife's face when she hears multiple responses clearly indicates how she is feeling, and imparts a lot of comedy to the story. Also, the gorilla looks right at the reader and gives us a shushing gesture with his fingers, showing us that he knows what he is doing is sneaky, and also asking us to be complicit in his adventures by not telling on him.

We are accomplices in more than one way. The absence of a narrative invites the reader to create her own. This is such a great book to inspire creative writing at an early age. Children reading the book will know what is occurring, but the urge to put into words what they see happening on the page is irresistible. There are not many books like this; wordless books, when done well, offer a unique and important reading experience for children. They are not only reading a story, they are helping to create it. And this book is done well. My girls have such a laughing good time when we read it. From both a parent's and an educator's perspective, I like this book. show less

A very funny book. Though the illustrations seem simple and straightforward (and the story certainly is), they contain a wealth of information, and it seems that every time I read the story, I discover something new. We were given this book when my six-year-old was born, and - dusting it off today to read to my one-year-old - I noticed things in the pictures I hadn't noticed before (the colours of the cages and the keys, in this instance). There are so many interesting things to point out, as your child gets older, to encourage them to learn and then discover for themselves as they discuss what is happening in the story.

(October 2010)
5 stars

This mostly wordless book had us in a fit of giggles. The zookeeper says goodnight to the gorilla and the gorilla promptly steals the keys to all of the cages. He trails behind the zookeeper on his rounds and lets out all of the other animals. When the zookeeper arrives home and gets ready for bed, all of the animals follow him into the house and into the bedroom.

The mishap, discovered by his night-capped wife, is hilarious.

A fun story of a zookeeper shutting down the zoo for the night and saying goodnight to each animal. Unbeknownst to him, the mischievous animals have escaped! My Pre-K and Kindergarten class asks for this story often! By the time we've read it a 3rd time they are "reading" it with me and giggling still the whole way through. I use this book every year to showcase that authors can be illustrators and to also show my young writers that they can tell a story with almost no words as they are learning how to write words for the first time. One of my all time favorites!

Yet another hilarious takeoff on "Goodnight, Moon." In this adorable board book, the zookeeper says goodnight to each of the animals, but the gorilla steals his keys, follows him around, and lets each animal out of its cage after the zookeeper says goodnight. They all follow the zookeeper home and get in bed with him and his wife.

I love these take-offs on "Good Night Moon" because they show children it is acceptable to exhibit irreverence for established authority when done with imagination and good humor.

A perfect mix of humor and wonderful, colorful illustrations for both young listeners and adults reading the story. A very charming group of zoo animals are freed from their cages one evening by a mischievous little gorilla. They are calmly escorted back by the zookeeper's wife for a good night's sleep. There are cute, tiny details to track on each page (a mouse and banana, for example) so it's both a quiet night time story and also a delightful seek-and-find book. A big hit with my granddaughter!

It's bedtime at the zoo, and all the animals are going to sleep. Or are they? Who's that short, furry guy with the keys in his hand and the mischievous grin?

Sneak along behind the zookeeper's back and see who gets the last laugh in this riotous good-night romp.