While You Sleep

Finished March 25

While You Sleep by Jennifer Maruno, illustrated by Miki Sato

This picture book is a great one for bedtime. I particularly love the multimedia images by Sato. They are made from layers of textures made of paper, cloth, and stitches in a collage that really adds to the beauty of the book.

The story is of a girl going to bed, while a team of rabbits work to tidy up the world and put everything in its place while she sleeps. 

The bunnies are nice and fuzzy and can be seen waiting while she ends her day. She even has a stuffed bunny she hugs. She also has a grey and white cat that stays near her, observing everything.

The bunnies go to work once she is in bed, polishing the sun, combing the grass, dusting the butterflies, clouds mended, flowers painted, rainbows charged, the Milky Way embroidered, and the stars swept into their places. 

This is a book that flows as each step of the bedtime routine aligns with the tidying of the world and sky. It lends itself to being read slowly, looking at the detail of the illustrations, and softly as the reader and child wind down their day along with the child in the story.

An absolutely lovely book, with beautiful language and images that echo those words. 

Hello, Dark

Finished October 8

Hello, Dark by Wai Mei Wong, illustrated by Tamara Campeau

This picture book was inspired by the author's experiences as an early childhood educator with children with nighttime anxiety. The main character here is a little boy who has been afraid of the dark. He takes control of the situation by talking to the dark, and asking it to be friends with him. He first expresses his worries about the dark and how it makes him feel. He then talks about some of the good things about the dark, how it protects those creatures that are active at night and allows us to see the moon and stars more clearly. This is when he makes his offer of friendship, describing how they can talk to each other, play imaginary games together, listen to music and count sheep. 

The illustrations show the dark as a shape, but not as a monster, more as a shadow, and I loved the details of the boy's room and the outdoor world. His interest in vehicles is clear. 

This is a book that directly addresses the fears that some young children have about the dark and allays them. I liked that the boy took control, a good message for kids about how they interact with things in their world, as a active participant. 

I think this will be a useful book for many families.