While You Were Sleeping

I first got the board book version of this book for my daugther & really fell in love with both the story and the artwork! A few months later I happened to read a review where the person said there was a difference between the Hard cover and Board book version. So... I decided to also purchase the book in Hardcover as well. Now that I have both side by side, in my eyes here is the difference between the 2 books. The Hardcover starts with a little girl being awoken by her mother in the morning, and while the girl is waking up her mother begins to talk about how all the animals that where awake last night while she was sleeping are now all sleeping, whiles she is now awake. From those 3 pages the books are both the same.... and then the hard back has 5 more pages at the end that the Board book does not. I know that board books are small for small listeners with short attention spans, so I think the publishers choose to shorten a few pages that really do not matter if they are deleted from the book. The board book still stands alone as just as awesome without those 8 pages some of which are illustrations. I use the board book at night before bed to show her that the world is big and while she is sleeping others are awake and so forth. The board book begins with the outline of a home against a stary, stary night. While I plan to use the hard cover book when I introduce her to it one morning or afternoon. Both books are illustrated so beautifully and it still to me is such a neat process that while we sleep, someone in the world is playing! I have also seen this done in the "Family of the Earth" Books as well.

John Butler's WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING, captures the essence of what animals do at night while a young child is tucked safely in his/her bed, soundly asleep. Ten different animals are featured throughout the pages of the book, including mice, tigers, penguins, and more. The lyrical prose will have very young children drifting off to sleep before the story is done, while at the same time will keep them dreaming about the lovely illustrations and animals contained throughout the story. A lovely bedtime book for all children, especially those who are under the age of 5. Erika Sorocco Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

This book is a really great bed-time book for even the littlest listeners. But, it also teaches simple concepts such as counting to ten, and the names of animals.The final two page spread contains a sort of "I Spy" game that includes all of the animals from the previous pages.The illustrations in this book are especially well done. Bed time books are read so frequently, and so repeatedly, that it's great to have something that I look forward to looking at so often.

This is my 2 year old son's new favourite. The pictures are beautiful in every detail, and my son loves to name and count the animals with me as we go through each page. It helps teach the concept that everyone, and every animal, sleeps and wakes, and that while a child is sleeping things are still going on in the world but we are all part of the same cycle. Very helpful for when my child DOESN'T want to go to sleep so I can remind him of everyone else who sleeps and he actually believes me! This is one that you AND your child will enjoy reading together again and again.

While you are sleeping things continue to go on all over the world. While a mother tells her child about some of those things, we are presented with a beautifully illustrated counting book which goes up to ten and then represents the number one hundred and finally ends with the reader (or read to) getting a chance to find and count the penquins scattered around a room. The illustrations are done soft and delicate but beautifully detailed so that adults as well as children will want to look at them repeatedly. There will always be things found in the pictures to discuss with children.