Review by Booklist Review
In this companion to Dahl and Forshay's Goodnight Baseball (2013), a boy attends a football game with his family. They arrive on a bus, sit in the bleachers, and cheer while the teams take the field and play the game. For the first two-thirds of the book, the pace of the rhyming, rhythmic text is quick and even, but after the game, it downshifts into a slower, sleepier meter. Now the family leaves the stands, waves good-bye to the players, cheerleaders, and band, and goes home to bed: Goodnight, bleachers. Goodnight, fans. Goodnight field and concession stands. Goodnight, mascot. We'll come back soon. Goodnight, goalposts. Goodnight, moon. The last picture shows the African American boy in bed asleep, holding his football like a cuddly toy. In the illustrations, there's racial diversity on and off the field as a community comes together to enjoy their favorite fall sport. Given the short supply of football-themed picture books accessible to young children, this cheerful bedtime book looks like a winner.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-It's Friday night, the stadium lights are up, and fans are wrapped up in scarves and hats, sipping hot chocolate. Simple rhyming text and bright, full-bleed, autumn-hued illustrations highlight the excitement of concession stands, the band, and the gridiron heroics of one little boy's favorite team. Nestled between his parents and sister, the little boy watches with the exuberance and knowledge of a seasoned fan as the game progresses. The text introduces football related vocabulary like "receiver," "quarterback," "possessions," and "end zone" for very young sports enthusiasts. When the game is over, the child bids goodnight to the people and places he passes on his way out of the stadium, saying, "Goodnight, mascot./We'll come back soon./Goodnight,/goalposts./Goodnight,/moon." This title will likely appeal to young nonfiction readers and sports fans who aren't ready for the typical fact-filled football books for older readers. The diversity present in the fans and on the football team is an accurate reflection of real sports and makes this a welcome addition to other fall picture books.-Jenna Boles, Greene County Public Library, Beavercreek, OH (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The excitement of a familys trip to a football game segues into a Goodnight Moonlike list of goodnights, ending with the young boy in bed, asleep, football tucked under his arm.At the end of the week, an African-American couple and their two childrena boy and a girlenjoy a night at the stadium under the lights. The coats, hats and scarves worn by this group of racially diverse fans and the blankets and hot drinks they hold mark football as a fall sport. All the sights and sounds of a big game are here, from the cheerleaders and the band to the mascot and the concession stand. The parts of the story describing the action of the game are exciting, but they may be mystifying to those who are unfamiliar with the sport: On third and one, the ball is snapped. / But the defense breaks through, and the quarterbacks sacked! As their Grizzlies win the game, the boy and his family begin the trek out to the car, saying goodnight to all as they pass: the players and coaches, bleachers, fans, goalposts, even the moon. Much is evident from the small details: the familys love for one another, the good sportsmanship on display on the field and the boys passion for football. Although the scansion is spotty and the illustrations pedestrian, there are so few football-themed picture books on the shelves already that this is worth a look.At least one fans dreams will be of the gridiron. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
