ALA Booklist (Wed Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

Multitalented McKellar has established herself as a passionate advocate of making math fun and engaging, and this is her first foray into picture books. Here children go through various bedtime rituals while saying good night to numbers in rhyme. The text is comprised of four lines per two-page spread and has a similarly simple, quiet feel as Margaret Wise Brown's iconic Goodnight Moon. "Goodnight, four paws. / Goodnight, kitty cat. / Goodnight, four froggies / on the bathroom mat." The illustrations, done in gentle and soft colors, show diverse families getting ready for bed, and they very cleverly incorporate the numbers t only do the pictures reflect the text, but there are plenty of other objects in the spread to count as well, which reinforces counting skills and numeracy just as much as literacy. This extends to even the endpapers of the book, which have numbers written in different languages. The smaller illustrations lend this more to one-on-one sharing than a large storytime, but for such a simple concept, there is a lot to count on.

Kirkus Reviews

This bedtime book offers simple rhymes, celebrates the numbers one through 10, and encourages the counting of objects. Each double-page spread shows a different toddler-and-caregiver pair, with careful attention to different skin tones, hair types, genders, and eye shapes. The pastel palette and soft, rounded contours of people and things add to the sleepy litany of the poems, beginning with "Goodnight, one fork. / Goodnight, one spoon. / Goodnight, one bowl. / I'll see you soon." With each number comes a different part in a toddler's evening routine, including dinner, putting away toys, bathtime, and a bedtime story. The white backgrounds of the pages help to emphasize the bold representations of the numbers in both written and numerical forms. Each spread gives multiple opportunities to practice counting to its particular number; for example, the page for "four" includes four bottles of shampoo and four inlaid dots on a stool—beyond the four objects mentioned in the accompanying rhyme. Each home's décor, and the array and types of toys and accoutrements within, shows a decidedly upscale, Western milieu. This seems compatible with the patronizing author's note to adults, which accuses "the media" of indoctrinating children with fear of math "in our country." Regardless, this sweet treatment of numbers and counting may be good prophylaxis against math phobia. The joys of counting combine with pretty art and homage to Goodnight Moon. (Picture book. 2-4)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Actor and author McKellar (Math Doesn-t Suck) brings her enthusiasm for mathematics to a younger crowd in this gentle and well-executed counting book. As the book proceeds from one to 10, cherubic toddlers of various ethnicities interact with their parents and surroundings: -Goodnight, four paws./ Goodnight, kitty cat./ Goodnight, four froggies/ on the bathroom mat,- writes McKellar as one father runs a bubble bath for his daughter. Padrón-s (Little Fox, Lost) cozy watercolor vignettes are stuffed with objects to count, providing bountiful opportunities to explore each number in depth, and closing notes offers tips for adults hoping to encourage kids- interest in math. Ages 2-5. Author-s agent: Laura Nolan, Kuhn Projects. Illustrator-s agent: Minju Chang, Bookstop Literary. (Mar.)