Good Night, Laila Tov.

PreS-Gr 1—A family embarks on a camping trip, traveling by car to a beach, a meadow, and a forest. Each night the children are lulled to sleep by the sounds of the waves, the sky, the rain, and the road, with the repeated English and Hebrew refrain, "Good night, laila tov…." But, when they return home, it is their parents who fall asleep exhausted on the couch. The text is lyrical and poetic, and the bright illustrations blend realism with whimsy, brilliantly depicting the beauty and serenity that the children discover in nature. Despite the small hints at the family's Jewish heritage-a Star of David necklace, a tzedakah (charity) box, a menorah—the inclusion of the Hebrew phrase is irrelevant. It could have just as easily been in any other language or left out entirely. With lighthearted elements of humor ("We stopped for dinner, stopped to see…Stopped again so I could pee"), the book takes readers on an inspiring, well-written, rhyming journey.—Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL