A Book of Sleep

When you have little kids, you re-read books. A lot. Especially bedtime books. This is one of my favorites; it never gets old. (My kids like it too.) The illustrations are just wonderful.

The watchful owl looks out over the dark night sky, while different types of animals, all over earth, sleep. Each animal sleeps its own way: quiet, noisy, standing, moving, eyes open and shut, alone and together. But when the sun rises and the sky turns to blue, everyone but the owl wakes up. Now, it's the tired owl's time to sleep. Fanciful and dreamy illustrations delight. Children ages 3-6 will adore this small book.

When the moon becomes visible in the sky and the sun goes down "everyone goes to sleep . . . except for the watchful owl." His eyes appear to be saucer like against the backdrop of the full moon because it is his time to be alert and awake. He sits on a tree branch looking out at other creatures whose time it is to sleep. A koala baby snuggles to his mother's back as she holds onto a tree in the crook of a branch. They are safe and sound in their sleep. Other animals sound out in their sleep. The elephant's trunk goes up and down z z z and the owl can hear him as he flies overhead. The owl's wise old eyes glance sidewards to watch as three giraffes sleep standing up. The owl travels through the night watching others as they rest. Some like the giant whale are on the move when they sleep. The tail moves and air comes out his blow hole. The owl stops briefly to watch the pigeons who sleep "with one eye open" z z z. And then there are others who "sleep with both eyes open . . . they don't even blink!" There are some who prefer to sleep alone, but if you look at the penguins they love to sleep "huddled close at night." In the morning when everyone wakes up guess who is fast asleep? "ZZZZZZZZ" This is a beautifully illustrated book that is soothing, gentle and fun to read or browse. I enjoyed the little extra perk of trying to find the owl in each setting because sometimes he is tiny and hidden. Little hands will love to turn these pages and find the owl. The illustrations were beautifully done and will be especially appealing to the small child. This extremely engaging book would make an excellent one to read just before bedtime, especially if you have a rocking chair to cuddle up in with your little one!

Every once in awhile, along comes a picture book so beautifully illustrated that it doesn't need a single word of text to be entrancing. This is one of those amazing books that delights your eye with the very first page and holds your attention all the way through. This is a fantastic bedtime book in nearly every respect. The story centers around bedtime and how nearly all the animals are ready for sleep when the darkness descends. Only the nocturnal owl remains wide-eyed and alert. The owl keeps watch over all the other animals as they sleep, and steps in as our tour guide to taking a closer look at the dozers. On some pages the owl is very small and artfully hidden, which makes finding his small frame a nice game for readers. He swoops over the snoring elephant, gazes balefully at a row of giraffes and lofts over an enormous whale, before roosting among a large group of slumbering doves. Animals sleep in all different ways - some stand, some swim, some perch. A clue to a snoozing animal is typically the closed eyes, but we discover there are a few animals who sleep with one or both eyes open! And what about that owl, when does he sleep? Ah, the tired owl gets sleepy when the sun glows brightly and all the others animals rise for the day. There's nothing as soothing as a book centered around sleep to get your little ones settled in for the night, particularly one as lovely as this. Subdued colors and the tiniest of details make this a visually stunning read. The above photos don't do the book justice. Holding the book in your hands, you will be surprised to find tiny line drawings on every page. Beautiful flower patterns and curlicues are etched in a deep blues and grays on every page, with white stars and tiny animals decorating the corners. Gorgeous!

The illustrations in this book are so lovely that the story might just be lost in the looking! Il Sung Na shows various animals in sleep from the view point of an inquisitive, nocturnal owl as he goes about his activities through the night. Your child can see how various animals get ready for bed. The book features some repetitive dialogue which children love as well as the owl being incorporated into each view of a sleepy animal--as well as learning about sleep habits, your child can play the "find the owl" game. The book shows how various animals sleep from some birds who sleep with one eye open, to a fish with both and an elephant with both eyes closed. And your child will find that the owl sleeps when the sun comes up!

Kiwi Magazine Review: This is one of the most beautifully illustrated books of late. While all of the other animals sleep, whether solo or snuggled with others, the owl stays awake. The story line is simple, but the illustrations are unique, complex and as soothing as a lullaby.