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Parents' Guide to

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site

By Darienne Stewart, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 2+

Charming bedtime book is magic for truck lovers.

Book Sherri Duskey Rinker Picture Book 2011
Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 2+

Based on 6 parent reviews

schylerw
schylerw Parent of 2-year-old
July 7, 2022
age 2+

My boy gives two thumbs up. I don’t.

This has an Ayn Rand quality to it. I enjoy Ayn Rand, but I can disassociate the messaging. My son can’t. I don’t want my son to grow up thinking that work life balance is WORK. I work in construction and advocate diversity on the job. So I am troubled by the male dominance of the pronouns. Having said all that, my two year old loves it. So I’m conflicted.
Megsarn
Megsarn Parent of 7-year-old
March 4, 2019
age 2+

Needs pronoun help but great

Great book that's only problem is that the trucks are all male. It is also very pronoun heavy (lots of him/his) which made turning all of the trucks female for our daughter a bit of a challenge. When we had a son we alternates between female & male trucks. Despite the gender problem my daughter loved this book (edited form) and we read it hundreds of times. It has really beautiful rhymes that work just as well with female trucks.
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

The day is drawing to a close at a busy construction site. One by one, five trucks finish up their day's work -- or rather, play -- and wind down for bed. They take a bath, close their doors, shut down their engines, and settle in for hard-earned rest so they'll be ready to rev back up the next day.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (1 ):

GOODNIGHT, GOODNIGHT, CONSTRUCTION SITE deftly blends the excitement of a construction site with the classic elements of a lullaby book. Rhythmic, repetitive text by Sherri Duskey Rinker slowly casts a sleepy spell. Richly hued oil pastels by Tom Lichtenheld (Duck! Rabbit!) bathe the trucks in golden late-day colors and deep indigo at night. Kids will love the tiny touches: a blanket draped over snoozing Cement Mixer, a teddy bear cradled by Crane Truck, who holds a glowing star nightlight aloft with his boom.

Kids will appreciate that these seemingly untiring, hardworking machines get tuckered out, too. The trucks' bedtime routines are familiar: They ease into rest by wrapping up the day's fun, quieting down, perhaps taking a bath, and then tucking themselves in. All that's missing is the bedtime story!

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how the trucks prepare for bed. How is their winding-down time similar to your bedtime routine? Do trucks sleep the same way you do?

  • Talk about the type of work done by each type of truck and how they work together as a team. Point out trucks when you spot them out and about.

  • Parents can print out online activity sheets and help kids do a dot-to-dot, draw a picture of Crane Truck's dream, or match Cement Mixer's expression to the right emotion.

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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