Good Guys, Bad Guys, it’s classic or dated-depending on your view

This is the soul of an active, imagination based play kid who is four through seven years old. Our eight year-old is still firmly in this camp where imagination is his leading currency and he spends it all of the time. Good Guys, Bad Guys is an illustrated book that speaks this language. One day a kid can be on the good side, other days they’re on the bad side and teams of who is good or bad can switch all the time. If you’re a fan of ‘come home when the street lights come on’ style books then Good Guys, Bad Guys will be just your sort of all-skate, slightly old school, pretend play, good-night book.

The first page of the book allows readers a clear glimpse of our characters as they get out of bed. One of them has hair that seems to be neatly combed already and is making their bed; while the other one is struggling to get off of the bed, has a pug sleeping with them, cereal bowl on the floor and what appears to be an army of dust bunnies under the bed. From this wide overview it’s clear as to who is the bad guy on this particular day, isn’t it?

Sure enough, as soon as she’s out the door she’s teamed up with a group of other likeminded hooligans. They’re rolling in the grass, stomping like monsters and eating like pigs among other things. We quickly see another group of kids that are clean cut, acting like superheroes and otherwise being children that won’t raise mom or dad’s blood pressure too much.

We see the dog being fed potato chips while being seated at the picnic table. The other group is singing songs and celebrating someone’s birthday. At the end of the day our two sibling main characters call it a day, agreeing to switch it up their characters tomorrow.

There is an abundance of sweet charm in Good Guys, Bad Guys. Adults reading the book will certainly remember their childhood and the way that playgroups were able to morph sides without anyone minding too much. The book has firm roots in an old soul. There are no electronic devices and all of the kids have interconnecting back yards with fence doors that make it easy to come and go. If anything, it’s the book’s abundance of charm that might make it one that kids don’t want to read.

It feels like it’s from a different era. There’s a kid playing cowboy, a couple of pirates, an old-school lawn chair and other sublime touches that will either endear or alienate audiences. We liked the book, but thought we’d love it. Kids who are between four and eight who live in an area that’s densely populated with kids their age will like it. The illustrations by Nancy Carpenter have lots of movement with details that kids can’t talk about or adults can point out. The text in the book makes it appropriate for that same age due to the fact that most pages have rhyming stanzas that’ll help navigate the pacing as it’s being read.

If you’re child has an old soul and loves to play then Good Guys, Bad Guys is a book they’ll enjoy reading. If not, the book might feel too dated and be one that the person reading it to them might enjoy more.

Good Guys, Bad Guys is by Joanne Rocklin with illustrations by Nancy Carpenter.

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