My son was three when he started the bedtime stalling routine. One more story. One more glass of water. One more trip to check if the dog was sleeping. Goodnight Already! by Jory John felt like someone had been watching our house through the window.
Bear wants to sleep. Duck wants to hang out. That’s the whole book, and it’s perfect. Jory John and Benji Davies turned the universal bedtime battle into 32 pages of dry humor that had me laughing more than my kids.
Best for ages 3-6. If your child has ever knocked on your door at 10 PM to ask a question that could absolutely wait until morning, this book will resonate.
Jump to:
- What Is It About?
- About the Creators
- The Already! Series
- What Makes It Good
- What Could Be Better
- Similar Bedtime Books
What Is Goodnight Already! About?
Bear is exhausted. He’s climbing the stairs to bed, eyes barely open. Then Duck knocks on the door.
Duck is Bear’s neighbor, and Duck has plans. Play cards. Watch a movie. Make some juice. Write songs. Maybe just talk all night.
Bear says no. Duck asks again. Bear says no again. Duck keeps going.
John nails the comedy of repetition here. Kids laugh because they see themselves in Duck. Parents laugh because they feel like Bear. The whole dynamic works because neither character is wrong. Duck isn’t mean. He’s just lonely and energetic at the worst possible time.
The book won the 2015 E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor in the illustrated children’s book category. It was also a Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Best Picture Book.
What We Like Less:
If your kid IS the duck (won’t stop talking at bedtime), this might backfire. Mine thought it was hilarious and kept asking questions. Your mileage may vary.
Why You Are Going to Like it:
Bear wants to sleep. Duck won’t leave him alone. Every parent relates to this immediately. We’re usually the bear. E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor book. Jory John and Benji Davies made something special here.
About the Creators
Jory John
Jory John is a #1 New York Times bestselling author with over 40 books to his name. You probably know The Bad Seed and The Good Egg, which kicked off his Food Group series. That series now has eight books, with The Humble Pie being the most recent.
He’s won two E.B. White Read-Aloud Honors and a Children’s Choice Book Award. His books have been translated into 30+ languages. Before picture books, John wrote for The New York Times, McSweeney’s, and The Guardian. That humor writing background shows. Goodnight Already! has the timing of a comedy sketch. Every page turn lands.
Benji Davies
Benji Davies is a British illustrator and animation director. His background in animation gives his picture books a cinematic quality you don’t see in most children’s illustration.
His own books include The Storm Whale (winner of the inaugural Oscar’s Book Prize) and Grandad’s Island (Sainsbury’s Children’s Book of the Year 2015). He’s sold over 6 million copies worldwide with books translated into 35+ languages.
In Goodnight Already!, Davies uses nocturnal blues and geometric patterns to set the mood. Bear’s exhaustion is visible in every frame. Duck’s energy practically vibrates off the page. The contrast between the two characters comes through in the art as much as the text.
The Already! Series
John and Davies created four Bear and Duck books. Each follows the same dynamic: Bear wants one thing, Duck wants the opposite.
1. Goodnight Already! (2014) – Bear wants to sleep. Duck wants to party.
2. I Love You Already! (2016) – Bear wants a quiet walk alone. Duck wants to bond.
3. Come Home Already! (2017) – Bear goes fishing for a week. Duck falls apart without him.
4. All Right Already! (2018) – Duck loves the snow. Bear thinks it’s too cold for anything.
The series appears to be complete at four books. Each works as a standalone, but reading them in order shows the friendship deepen. By the third book, you realize Bear actually misses Duck when he’s gone. That’s a nice payoff if your kid gets hooked on the first one.
What Makes It Good
The pacing. John understands comic timing better than most picture book authors. Bear’s responses get shorter and more desperate as Duck’s energy builds. Kids pick up on this rhythm. They start predicting what Bear will say next, and they’re usually wrong. That’s what makes it funnier each time.
The read-aloud factor is high. Two distinct voices (grumpy Bear, chipper Duck) make this one of those books where parents can actually perform it. My son used to do Duck’s voice when he was small. He was terrible at it, which made the whole thing better.
Davies’ illustrations carry weight beyond decoration. Bear’s apartment feels lived-in. The nighttime color palette shifts subtly as the story moves forward. There are visual gags in the background that kids notice on the third or fourth reading.
And the ending lands well. I won’t spoil it, but it’s satisfying without being predictable.
What Could Be Better
For very young toddlers (under 2), the humor is too verbal. They’ll enjoy the pictures but won’t get why it’s funny. The sweet spot is really 3 and up.
Some parents noted that their kids identified with Duck and took the book as encouragement to stall bedtime even harder. Fair point. If your child is already a world-class bedtime negotiator, this book might give them new material.
Similar Bedtime Books
If your family connects with Goodnight Already!, these books hit similar notes:
Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late by Mo Willems has the same comedic energy. The Pigeon uses every stalling tactic in the book, and your kid gets to be the one who says no. Interactive and funny.
Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein won a Caldecott Honor for good reason. A little chicken keeps interrupting her dad’s bedtime stories. The repetition works the same way it does in Goodnight Already!, but the punchline hits differently.
Goodnight, Butterfly by Ross Burach is the closest match in terms of plot. Butterfly keeps bothering Porcupine at night with increasingly ridiculous questions. If your kid burned through the Already! series, start here.
Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney takes a different approach. Instead of humor, it addresses bedtime anxiety with warmth. Good for kids who stall because they’re genuinely nervous, not just energetic.
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is the obvious classic. Slower, gentler, almost hypnotic. Works well as a cooldown book after something energetic like Goodnight Already!
What’s Next
Looking for more books in this age range? Check our guides for 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds.
For more Jory John, The Bad Seed and The Good Egg are both worth picking up. The Food Group series is solid all the way through.
Want more from Benji Davies? The Storm Whale is a completely different mood, but it’s one of the best picture books about loneliness and compassion we’ve come across.
About These Recommendations
I’m George. I read to my kids for 10+ years before they started reading on their own. My wife’s a therapist who helped pick books that actually matter for development. Everything on this site got tested on our family first.
FAQs
Ages 3-6. Works as a read-aloud for younger toddlers who enjoy the pictures. Preschoolers and kindergartners get the humor. Adults genuinely enjoy it too, which helps when you’re reading it for the tenth time.
Yes. There are four Bear and Duck books by Jory John and Benji Davies: Goodnight Already! (2014), I Love You Already! (2016), Come Home Already! (2017), and All Right Already! (2018). Each works on its own, but the friendship develops across the series.
Jory John wrote the text. Benji Davies illustrated it. John is a #1 NYT bestselling author known for The Bad Seed and The Good Egg. Davies is a British illustrator behind The Storm Whale and Grandad’s Island.
The book doesn’t push a heavy moral. At its core, it’s about the tension between wanting to be alone and wanting connection. Bear learns (reluctantly) that the people who show up uninvited sometimes turn out to be the ones who care the most.
It received the 2015 E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor in the illustrated children’s book category. It was also a Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Best Picture Book.
Depends on your kid. The humor might wind them up rather than calm them down. It works best as an early-evening read, not a lights-out story. Pair it with something calmer like Goodnight Moon for the final book of the night.
Lexile AD290L, which means “Adult Directed” (designed to be read aloud). ATOS level 1.1. The text is simple enough for early readers to follow along, but it’s at its best when a parent reads it with different voices for Bear and Duck.
Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late by Mo Willems, Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein, and Goodnight, Butterfly by Ross Burach share the comedic bedtime-resistance format. Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney takes a warmer approach to bedtime struggles.