America's a big country full of all sorts of different people. Our hero in this book tells us about a dozen or so he met during a zany, zigzag trip around the country on his sister's rusty bike. As he says:

"I met some gals. I met some guys."

"I met their critters too."

"And though you may be dubious,

"I swear that it's all true."

Whether the truth gets stretched a bit or not, children will be amused by such regular folks as Pat McDuff, whose cats are, well, rather different. In Granite Falls, Minnesota, Jojo Jones's pet toads would be the envy of any toad in the land. And then there's Benny Finn of Toonerville, Colorado, whose house gets rather lively whenever he sets out to vacuum the rugs. Jim Aylesworth's witty, homespun rhymes blend perfectly with Richard Hull's quirky, stylized illustrations to introduce this gathering of Americans who, in their own eccentric way, suggest the breadth of the land.

 

This book is aimed at children in primary school.

This book was published 1995 by Simon & Schuster .

Jim Aylesworth has written many books for young readers, including The Completed Hickory Dickory Dock and Mother Halverson's New Cat. Of The Goodnight Kiss, Booklist has said his "melodic story. with its strings of prepositional phrases and its elusive sense of connectedness will mesmerize kids. " Mr. Aylesworth marks his proudest accomplishments as having been a first-grade teacher for nearly twenty-five years. He lives with his family in Hinsdale, Illinois.