GOODNIGHT, ANNE

Move over Goodnight Moon, there’s another book arriving whose winsome titular character will charm generations of children as they drift off to sleep.

Montgomery’s bestselling series about a plucky redheaded orphan who finds a home with the Cuthberts in Green Gables continues to delight children around the world, and this gorgeous picture book inspired by the series undoubtedly will also. George’s text deftly weaves in characters and situations from the series’ first novel, capturing Anne’s inquisitiveness and sense of adventure while providing just enough detail that newcomers to the series (probably most of this book’s audience) can follow the story and those already familiar with it will not be disappointed. The author’s prose melds seamlessly with Godbout’s stunning illustrations, which bring Green Gables and the residents of Avonlea (all white) to life on the page. Her delicate pencil work captures every detail that made generations of readers fall in love with Anne’s story, from the vivid redness of her hair to the lushness of the Prince Edward Island landscape she calls home. When Anne says goodnight to the stars, the double-page–spread illustration is suffused in a dreamy white light so fairylike that it makes readers feel that they, like Anne, can float on air.

A nearly flawless book that invokes nostalgia in older readers and will undoubtedly make newcomers clamor to know what happens next.