The Good-Night Blessing Book

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Much in the same vein as her recent An Alphabet of Angels, Willard's latest combines verse with photographs of carefully composed tableaux. As before, angels take center stage, this time to honor the sacred in the everyday. The verse flows in strong currents ("Bless new-washed clothes, the Milky Way,/ and those we love who do not stay/ but journey out, so fast, so far/ they break bread with the evening star"). Accompanying images are sometimes arresting and often humorous (for the "new-washed clothes," an angel irons a pair of freshly laundered wings; for the "Milky Way," another hovers before the fridge, contemplating the dairy goods). Although there is much here for children to appreciate, especially the angel dolls, images and figurines shown cleverly tucked in cabbages, ferrying teacups, trumpeting the dawn, and so on, the level of visual and linguistic sophistication makes the book better suited to adult angel aficionados. All ages. (Sept.)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3Twenty-eight full-color photographs are framed in white and underscored by large-print, rhymed blessings. African, Chinese, and Hispanic angels mingle with their European counterparts in photos that range from somewhat disturbing (a pale, thin, ceramic creature peering into the refrigerator) to profound (the shadow of an angel in flight). It appears that the author staged and photographed her favorite pieces and made up a verse to link them; unfortunately, the effect is more contrived than inspired. While individual pages may appeal to children, the concept is not likely to sustain their interest. Buy this title for adult angel aficionados, but read Willard's The High Rise Glorious Skittle Skat Roarious Sky Pie Angel Food Cake (Harcourt, 1990), which captures the mystery and wonder of angels, to youngsters who would benefit from an encounter with the holy.Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA

Kirkus Reviews

Willard follows up her Alphabet of Angels (1994) with this litany of random, quirky benedictions: "Bless cups and pitchers,/pots and spoons,/candles and keys,/the bride and groom./Bless open windows,/doors that sing,/rooms that invite/the forest in." Each line captions a large full-color photo of one or two figurines, mostly angels, richly dressed and placed in an appropriate setting (amid hosta leaves for the "forest," for example) with assorted small objects. Though several startling juxtapositions—one angel reaching into a refrigerator, another leaning over an ironing board—lighten the reverent tone, concretist readers will shrug; those with an appreciation for the abstract may find some meaning here.