Everyone
loves a cozy bedtime book. Whether children or adults, we take great pleasure
in climbing into bed and snuggling under the blankets to read, especially at
this time of year. And when the volume we bring with us is especially
worthy of our attention, all the better.
Children’s
book veterans Crescent Dragonwagon and David McPhail have teamed up and
produced one of those rare gems in All The Awake Animals Are Almost Asleep. As with so many books about bedtime, a child is not
quite ready for slumber, but mother gently encourages making an attempt anyway.
She lovingly points out that every creature has a time to be awake and a time
to sleep, and proceeds to describe a number of familiar (and some
not-so-common) animals’ methods of getting cozy for the night.
The
beautiful alliterative text doubles as an alphabet book, punctuated by
McPhail’s warm, soothing ink and watercolor illustrations of baby and adult
animals finding their night’s resting place. Each does it in a uniquely
personal way ~ “Frog just floats, letting her feet flop until they find firm
footing near the ferns”, and “Otter, overcome, is out in the ocean, rocking on
and on, oh-so-gently”. Sweet but intelligent poetry begins and ends the
story, and my guess is that children will want to hear it again and again,
hoping they can make it to the last page before finding their own eyelids heavy
with sleep. Guest post by Bridget W.
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