GOOD NIGHT, GOOD NIGHT, VICTORIA BEACH

Bridgman’s illustrated children’s book offers readers an alphabetic walk through the four seasons in Manitoba, Canada.

In this ABC primer, each letter of the alphabet is highlighted in a sentence referencing a detail of a particular season, such as summer’s “T is for tennis—win, tie or lose,” and winter’s “H is for hot chocolate, for your tum-tum-tummy.” The letters X, Y, and Z remain the same for every season. X is for XOXO (“hugs and kisses, just for you”), Y is for yawn, and Z is for ZZZzzz (“Sweet dreams, sleep tight / good night, good night!”). Young readers will find it helpful that each occurrence of the letter is highlighted in a different color than the rest of the sentence text. The typeface is easy to read, and each double-page spread presents a rhyming couplet, which will be a helpful tool for early readers. Some lines feel slightly awkward and may require context regarding the real-life Victoria Beach area, such as “G is for Gate—gazed from afar,” which may be a bit confusing unless the reader already knows the specific gate described. Overall, the book’s length causes the story to feel disjointed; a stronger narrative arc or consistent characters could have created a better flow, or the work could have been split into four separate books. Bridgman’s painterly illustrations don’t follow a narrative arc or share many common elements aside from the setting of Victoria Beach. They are whimsical, however, and often feature anthropomorphized animals. Jackrabbits—the inspiration for the book, according to an author’s note—appear frequently; one is even dressed up as a ghost to celebrate Halloween with some jack-o’-lanterns. A few humans with varying skin tones pop up every now and again.

An educational, if overlong, bedtime story set in nature.