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'Goodnight Pensacola' Is A Local Author's Take On A Classic

The “Great Green Room” has been replaced by the Graffiti Bridge and other local landmarks in the new children’s book “Goodnight Pensacola”. 

Based on the children’s classic “Goodnight Moon”, the book is the brainchild of local author Anna Whibbs Theriault, granddaughter of the late mayor and local ambassador Vince Whibbs. Anna will be reading her book at the Children’s Museum of Pensacola this Saturday morning as part of Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play.  WUWF’s Bob Barrett caught up with her after a book reading event at St. Paul Catholic School and talked about the book.

  • Anna wanted to have a book that reflected "some of the beautiful landmarks we have in Pensacola". She said she would always read "Goodnight Moon" to her sons before bed and they loved it. "So I kind of took that idea and started driving around town and writing about some of the landmarks that I loved and that my kids responded to and that my family had a connection to."
  • She found it difficult to whittle down the number of landmarks that eventually appeared in the book. "We have so many beautiful places here!" She eventually settled on places that kids could connect to as well as adults.
  • One of the landmarks that did make it into the book was the Graffiti Bridge. "So I took the Graffiti Bridge and I put in some names of family members. I also put my grandfather's 'Welcome to Pensacola' speech, I put 'the Western Gate to the Sunshine State' there so that made it kind of unique and special." She also included places on Pensacola Beach, Fort Pickens "historical spots and local favorites."
  • During her book reading at local schools, Anna says the kids are excited to hear about local spots being mentioned in the book. 
  • Saturday morning, September 26 at the Children's Museum of Pensacola, she'll be reading the book at 10:30 and then have a book signing at 11.
Bob Barrett has been a radio broadcaster since the mid 1970s and has worked at stations from northern New York to south Florida and, oddly, has been able to make a living that way. He began work in public radio in 2001. Over the years he has produced nationally syndicated programs such as The Environment Show and The Health Show for Northeast Public Radio's National Productions.