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caralinenelson's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
fongolia's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the artwork and love the creators' other works, but this just didn't work for me. Duck is being the clear nuisance and gets his happy ending, while bear comes off unfairly as the uptight bad guy and is punished. Not very funny, though again the art is great.
lagobond's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars. For adults who are prepared to use this book for a discussion with children on topics like relationship boundaries and respect, I would rate it 5 stars because my (borrowed) kiddos and I love this kind of humor. But on its own, I think this book isn't as good as it could be. Also, be aware that this is more of a story about bedtime than a bedtime story per se. It's pretty exciting and high-energy!
I read this together with its companions [b:I Love You Already!|25817276|I Love You Already!|Jory John|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1452372986l/25817276._SX50_.jpg|45672812], [b:Come Home Already!|33913937|Come Home Already!|Jory John|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1512534546l/33913937._SX50_.jpg|54879643] and [b:All Right Already!: A Snowy Story|38633492|All Right Already! A Snowy Story|Jory John|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1522671382l/38633492._SX50_.jpg|60245548], and they're for the most part similar enough that I'm going to summarize my opinion in one review.
What I liked:
The illustrations drew me right in. I absolutely love the punchy colors of the scenery and page backgrounds. Both the author and the illustrator did a fabulous job capturing Duck and Bear's distinct personalities. Every detail in the illustrations is spot-on, including Bear and Duck's body language. In Goodnight Already in particular, I love the addition of Bear's little pink toy bunny. Too cute.
Duck is chipper and energetic, always ready to go, loud, and excitable. Even his wallpaper is busy, and he has a picture of an alarm clock on his wall! He has zero boundaries, and seems incapable of entertaining himself. He's also entirely unobservant when it comes to Bear's moods and needs. Bear exudes quiet contentment while he's in his cozy home or hiking through the forest on his own; but he turns mopey, sluggish, and grumpy when dragged outside by his annoying neighbor. He invariably goes along with Duck's requests, but not without protest. He's obviously quite befuddled by Duck's over-the-top affection for him, and Duck's constant need for busy entertainment. Together they do a beautiful job illustrating the eternal battle between introverts and extroverts.
What I particularly liked is that both characters get their own voice, and neither is portrayed as "wrong" or "better" than the other just for their personality style. I find both of them quite relatable and endearing in their own way. I also like the moments when their interests do converge and they have some good times together, such as when Duck unexpectedly saves Bear's fishing trip in Come Home Already.
What I didn't like:
There seems to be no character development at all. Ideally I would have liked to see Duck learn to understand and respect Bear's need for peace and quiet, at least some of the time. Bear gives plenty of hints and even explicit requests to for Duck to please back off. But in (I Love You Already and All Right Already), Bear gets absolutely steamrolled, and Duck is none the wiser. Also, in All Right Already Duck first forces Bear to "have fun" outside, which ends up making Bear sick; then he forces his "help" on poor Bear, and in the end he manipulates and coerces Bear into returning the favor! This feels abusive, and made us sad.
Bear's main coping strategy is to fantasize about not opening the door, or getting new neighbors, neither of which is obviously a viable solution. (Bear refusing to open the door would also make for a pretty short book, hah!) I would like to see more emphasis on how this relationship could change, for more balance and mutual benefit.
I read this together with its companions [b:I Love You Already!|25817276|I Love You Already!|Jory John|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1452372986l/25817276._SX50_.jpg|45672812], [b:Come Home Already!|33913937|Come Home Already!|Jory John|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1512534546l/33913937._SX50_.jpg|54879643] and [b:All Right Already!: A Snowy Story|38633492|All Right Already! A Snowy Story|Jory John|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1522671382l/38633492._SX50_.jpg|60245548], and they're for the most part similar enough that I'm going to summarize my opinion in one review.
What I liked:
The illustrations drew me right in. I absolutely love the punchy colors of the scenery and page backgrounds. Both the author and the illustrator did a fabulous job capturing Duck and Bear's distinct personalities. Every detail in the illustrations is spot-on, including Bear and Duck's body language. In Goodnight Already in particular, I love the addition of Bear's little pink toy bunny. Too cute.
Duck is chipper and energetic, always ready to go, loud, and excitable. Even his wallpaper is busy, and he has a picture of an alarm clock on his wall! He has zero boundaries, and seems incapable of entertaining himself. He's also entirely unobservant when it comes to Bear's moods and needs. Bear exudes quiet contentment while he's in his cozy home or hiking through the forest on his own; but he turns mopey, sluggish, and grumpy when dragged outside by his annoying neighbor. He invariably goes along with Duck's requests, but not without protest. He's obviously quite befuddled by Duck's over-the-top affection for him, and Duck's constant need for busy entertainment. Together they do a beautiful job illustrating the eternal battle between introverts and extroverts.
What I particularly liked is that both characters get their own voice, and neither is portrayed as "wrong" or "better" than the other just for their personality style. I find both of them quite relatable and endearing in their own way. I also like the moments when their interests do converge and they have some good times together, such as when Duck unexpectedly saves Bear's fishing trip in Come Home Already.
What I didn't like:
There seems to be no character development at all. Ideally I would have liked to see Duck learn to understand and respect Bear's need for peace and quiet, at least some of the time. Bear gives plenty of hints and even explicit requests to for Duck to please back off. But in (I Love You Already and All Right Already), Bear gets absolutely steamrolled, and Duck is none the wiser. Also, in All Right Already Duck first forces Bear to "have fun" outside, which ends up making Bear sick; then he forces his "help" on poor Bear, and in the end he manipulates and coerces Bear into returning the favor! This feels abusive, and made us sad.
Bear's main coping strategy is to fantasize about not opening the door, or getting new neighbors, neither of which is obviously a viable solution. (Bear refusing to open the door would also make for a pretty short book, hah!) I would like to see more emphasis on how this relationship could change, for more balance and mutual benefit.
levibaus's review against another edition
3.0
There are several aspects of this book that I enjoy. There are also a couple things I am partial to which weren't executed in this book.
As a read aloud book, it was fun to act out the scenes and have some of the comical redundancies that Duck kept speaking. It was great for evoking reactions! The story flowed well and it was finished before we knew it. The situations were comical and the ending allowed for a great laugh out loud moment, it was great. Also, the artwork was well done! In addition, it was easy to sympathize and take sides with either character, they each provided experiences that we all have familiarity with.
In teaching (I teach Latin and I enjoy literature and English immensely), I like books which give good examples of proper speaking usage. It gives students a good guide and model so they are given exemplary work to mimic in their own learning. There were some slang terms and colloquialisms, which I think are great (as an adult), but I would rather have seen proper, straight forward usage to provide for my students. Plus, although the story was enjoyable and you can draw similarities to the experiences of the characters, I was left feeling a bit flat throughout until the comical ending.
As a read aloud book, it was fun to act out the scenes and have some of the comical redundancies that Duck kept speaking. It was great for evoking reactions! The story flowed well and it was finished before we knew it. The situations were comical and the ending allowed for a great laugh out loud moment, it was great. Also, the artwork was well done! In addition, it was easy to sympathize and take sides with either character, they each provided experiences that we all have familiarity with.
In teaching (I teach Latin and I enjoy literature and English immensely), I like books which give good examples of proper speaking usage. It gives students a good guide and model so they are given exemplary work to mimic in their own learning. There were some slang terms and colloquialisms, which I think are great (as an adult), but I would rather have seen proper, straight forward usage to provide for my students. Plus, although the story was enjoyable and you can draw similarities to the experiences of the characters, I was left feeling a bit flat throughout until the comical ending.
readingthroughtheages's review against another edition
3.0
Fun story about Bear, who can't wait to go to sleep, and Duck, who's ready to stay up and play. Adults will sympathize with the Bear, who just wants to sleep but is constantly interrupted and kids will love Duck, who is ready to play and have fun!
heisereads's review against another edition
4.0
Super cute story of a bear trying to go to sleep and his neighbor duck who won't let him. Loved the humor in the illustrations too.
Great pairing for A Sleepover for Beatrice.
Great pairing for A Sleepover for Beatrice.