★ 02/03/2014
Although a series of paintings showing nothing more than groups of sleeping animals might not sound so remarkable, the excursions of imagination in this book from the team behind I Wish I Had... make it a potential bedtime favorite. Deliciously fanciful scenarios, not zoological correctness, is the name of the game: camels sleep under quilts in bunk beds, while three seals slumber in armchairs balanced on the branches of a tree. Lots of big, threatening animals appear, but any thoughts of scariness are put to rest by the sweetness of their expressions as they slumber: the lion on his white lace pillow, the fox in flowered pajamas, the baboon with hands neatly crossed. If even the crocodile, the snake, and the tiger are sound asleep, the creators seem to imply, nothing can threaten readers on their way to bed. Zoboli’s verses contains appealing moments of their own: “Dormouse and badger in beds side by side./ ‘I like your pajamas,’ friend badger confides.” Only one bed is empty—its owner, an owl, stands guard on a tree branch above, staring wide-eyed at the stars. Ages 3–7. (Apr.)
Publishers Weekly (STARRED review) "A potential bedtime favorite. Deliciously fanciful scenarios, not zoological correctness, is the name of the game: camels sleep under quilts in bunk beds, while three seals slumber in armchairs balanced on the branches of a tree. . . . If even the crocodile, the snake, and the tiger are sound asleep, the creators seem to imply, nothing can threaten readers on their way to bed."New York Times Book Review "The juxtapositions are funny but unfrantic, gentled by the sweet couplets and piquant but restful paintings."Wall Street Journal "With their deep, jewel-like colors and comforting coziness, what small child wouldn't want to join this snoozing menagerie?"Children's Literature "A pleasant and soothing experience. . . . Parents who are searching for a beautiful lullaby book about animals will undoubtedly enjoy this one."The Horn Book "This large-format ode to the joys of dreamland sets just the right tone for a restful night."Congregational Libraries Today “Attractive, oversized book. . . . Appropriate for congregational nursery school children, who will adore the imaginative drawings and text.”
04/01/2014
PreS—This quiet bedtime story told in rhyming couplets reveals a wide range of fish, birds, insects, rodents, and other animals as they sleep. "Hushaby, hushaby, such comfy beds./All of these creatures are resting their heads." With a mix of indoor furniture and outdoor leaves, flowers, and trees, the book imparts a dreamlike state, appropriate to its peaceful topic. Couches, chairs, and even the ground are shown to be suitable places for repose, through images that depict animals of all kinds, from seals settled in treetop beds to a mouse, a mole, and a spider asleep in the cellar to a bird resting in a hammock. The large, ingenuous illustrations, done in paint and collage, have a naive, folklike quality. Bold patterns, including stripes, checks, patchwork, blossoms, and vines, decorate every page while still maintaining a soothing atmosphere. This title exudes tranquility and has the ability to calm a restless child at bedtime.—Maryann H. Owen, Children's Literature Specialist, Mt. Pleasant, WI
2014-02-26
In the crowded field of won't-you-please-go-to-sleep books, this visually pleasing but awkwardly rhymed story fails to forge any new paths into dreamland. The attractive cover of the oversized volume features a starry nighttime scene with a smiling fox asleep under a puffy quilt, establishing a calming tone. The first spread includes a little boy asleep in his bed next to his teddy bear, and from there, a wide variety of animals, including fish and fowl, bed down for the night in outdoor settings with anthropomorphic accessories such as pajamas, beds and cozy quilts. Appealing illustrations in a fanciful, mixed-media style employ collaged elements of paper and fabric against painted backgrounds, with swirling lines and oversized leaves and blossoms setting a surrealistic mood. The environments are scrambled together in a wildly disparate manner that echoes the illogical quality of the dream world, and proportions are often exaggerated so smaller creatures seem huge, like a butterfly as big as a tiger's head. The rhyming text, translated from the Italian, bounces along in singsong fashion with some awkward scansion and phrasing that often trips into tongue-twister territory. Though the repeated introductory words, "hushaby, lullaby," establish a serene cadence, many of the rhyming verses trip up rather than soothe. Mary Logue's Sleep Like a Tiger, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski (2013), and Mem Fox's classic Time for Bed, illustrated by Jane Dyer (1993), explore the same territory with greater success. (Picture book. 3-6)
