Welcome to 'Books at Bedtime'!
Picture the ideal, smooth-running bedtime where the children come when they’re called, vacate the bathroom efficiently and, all clean and rosy, snuggle down for a bedtime story. Now picture the other side of the coin where, yes, they emerge all clean and rosy but the bathroom floor is awash and Mum (that’s me!) is sounding more and more like Horrid Henry’s mother and follows the marauding pirates (or whatever else it is they’ve chosen to be that evening) through to their bedroom with nerves jangling and a keen desire to volunteer to walk the plank… and then all snuggle down for a bedtime story. In our household, bedtimes vacillate between the two scenarios and are usually somewhere in between – but the final outcome is always the same and we do always snuggle down for a story. In fact, my two now can’t get to sleep without one – and it’s our special time at the end of a busy day when we can journey together into someone else’s world.
We’ve just read a lovely book called The Elephant’s Pillow by Diana Reynolds, illustrated by Jude Daly (Frances Lincoln, 2004) which went down a treat all round – with me too (I love elephants): lively, colorful illustrations and an imagination-catching story about generosity and kindness. There are lots of children’s stories around that end with the main characters going to sleep – and if that subliminal message is needed at the end of the day, this title can be recommended! It was actually told to the author as a bedtime story by her father “after his travels in the East”, so is serendipitously fitting for my first entry here for PaperTigers’ Books at Bedtime.
So what about you – what’s your family’s favorite story at the moment? What do your children love listening to? We’d love to hear from you…
June 6th, 2007 at 7:01 am
Hi Marjorie
Shaun’s into a Goldilocks-and-the-3-Bears-themed books at the moment (where Goldilocks lives with the Bear family and they go to town, go on holiday, etc). Liam’s into his latest school book about weird and wonderful chicks – his class at school have a group subscription to “Ecole de Loisirs” and they all get a new book every month. They get to choose one book each – and also works on their basic arithmetic: 1+1 = 2 books every night! Definitely the best end-of-day activity that exists.
Bye for now,
Karl
That must be “Mille Secrets de Poussins” by Claude Ponti that Liam’s reading, is it? I’ve just checked out the “Ecole de Loisirs” website and it looks a fantastic scheme – lucky Liam! I’m very impressed that you get some math in along with your bedtime stories at the end of the day, too…
Marjorie
June 8th, 2007 at 9:46 am
At our household the bedtime routine is quite long (sometimes smooth and relaxing, other times maddingly exhausting) and always includes two – sometimes three, when we have the time and the energy – books, one in English and one in Portuguese. At the moment, The Sky Sweeper, by Phillis Gershator, illus. by Holly Meade is one that always get picked by our daughter and is either read to her or, if time is short, just caressed by her little hands. As Charlotte Richardson says on her review of the book, “For the child or parent thirsting for deeper meaning in life, the book will be a treasure”. The rhythm of the text and the beautiful collages have a calming effect and always bring satisfied yawns at the end and the promise of sweet dreams.
Thanks for pointing this one out, Aline. We haven’t read The Sky Sweeper yet but it looks like it should be next on the list…