Good Night, Sleep Tight by Mem Fox

In some people's eyes, Mem Fox can do no wrong.

In other's, she can do no right.

My opinion has always landed somewhere in the middle - I love and adore some of her books, while others fall flat.

I will always remember being introduced to her work for the first time at uni via a video of her retelling the story of The Little Match Girl.

There was not a dry eye in the house. And I left that room determined to learn how to become a great storyteller too. I wanted the children in my classes to be moved by stories too.

I loved Possum Magic and Wilfred, Gordon, McDonald Partridge, but never enjoyed reading them out loud to a class.

I was sceptical about Koala Lou, until I read it out loud to a class that fell in love with it so completely, that I had to reread it hundreds of times throughout the year!

And I have always loved reading Hattie and the Fox, Where is the Green Sheep and Tough Boris out loud.

For me the misses include The Magic Hat, A Giraffe in the Bath and Where the Giant Sleeps.

However, with Good Night, Sleep Tight, I believe that Fox has once again hit on a winning formula. Teaming up with illustrator Judy Horacek again just adds an extra big tick in her favour.

Good Night, Sleep Tight is about a young man babysitting two young children.
As he gets them ready for bedtime, they ask for a story.
Each time, he tells them another traditional nursery rhyme, as they get closer and closer to being ready for bed.

I haven't read this one out loud yet to a group of young children, but it has all the right ingredients.

Published in October through Scholastic Australia.

Happy reading.