Books for Kids: Stories to send them to sleep
Books
By Special to Montreal Gazette
'In the great green room
there was a telephone
and a red balloon
and a picture of
the cow jumping over the moon ...'
When I acquired a copy of Goodnight Moon soon after the birth of my first child, the classic picture book by Margaret Wise Brown with those opening lines, originally published in 1947, left me decidedly underwhelmed. The text, in a lilting rhyme, basically consisted of a list of things in a room and Clement Hurd's illustrations, while colourful, struck me as flat-looking and simplistic. But reading the book to my sons at bedtime changed my mind. Their interest in pointing at items listed in the soothing, repetitive text helped explain why, decades later, Goodnight Moon remains a staple of nightly bedtime routines in households where sharing a book with little ones is valued.
Goodnight Moon has become my go-to gift for new mothers (although I also like to tuck in Sandra Boynton's comical The Going to Bed Book, first published in 1982), but over the years plenty of other titles have made the list of bedtime books. Below, some new and relatively recent additions.
By Shauntay Grant
Illustrated by Zach Manbeck
Tundra Books
Ages 2 to 5
Nova Scotia's Shauntay Grant was inspired by Goodnight Moon when she wrote the rhyming text for this just-published picture book. Pennsylvania-based illustrator Zach Manbeck cites the film The Wizard of Oz and the paintings of Maxfield Parrish and Vincent van Gogh as his inspirations. The result is a lyrical bedtime book with golden mixed-media art that depicts a child busy with his toy box who allows himself to be carried off by a magical Mother Moon figure through a starry sky into a dreamlike playland filled with familiar toy characters, where he is finally lulled to sleep.
The Great Dinosaur Sleepover
By Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Joe Bluhm
Tundra Books
Ages 4 to 8
Jake is about to celebrate a birthday; he invites three friends to a sleepover with a dinosaur theme. Jake loves dinosaurs! Everything is ready when the big day arrives — except that things go 'stupendously wrong' when his dad tells him the friends have all caught the flu and the sleepover will have to be postponed. 'But everything's ready NOW!' Jake wails. Too sad to eat, he goes to bed early, waking in the middle of the night when he hears a snort. Creeping downstairs, he finds three dinosaurs watching TV. It makes for the best birthday ever, especially when three more dinos join them for games outside. When he tells his parents about it the next morning, they say he must have been dreaming. Until one of his friends shows up with a special birthday gift!
Happy Dreams, Little Bunny
Written and illustrated by Leah Hong
Little, Brown & Co.
Ages 3 to 7
Little Bunny, the central figure in Leah Hong's bedtime story, has trouble getting to sleep, so his mom suggests turning some of the thoughts that keep him awake into dreams. 'It won't be hard,' she says, 'with your imagination.' Little Bunny enlists the help of his toy elephant and together they dream up a magical series of adventures that eventually help Little Bunny drift off to sleep. Beautifully illustrated in pastel, pencil crayon and graphite, the text is written as a loving question-and-answer exchange between Mommy and Little Bunny.
Awake, Asleep
By Kyle Lukoff
Illustrated by Nadia Alam
Orchard Books, a Scholastic imprint
Ages 3 to 5
Beginning with 'a kiss, a blink, a dawn, a break,' author Kyle Lukoff and Toronto-based illustrator Nadia Alam introduce us to three diverse families and their young offspring as they go about a day's activities, occasionally crossing paths, until night falls and the book ends with 'a kiss, a blink, a night, asleep.'
The minimal text, combined with the lively images, tells a story of three sets of neighbours and how their children interact. A wonderful bedtime book, since even those who can't read for themselves yet will be able to decode the images and appreciate their message of individuality and togetherness.
Too Early
By Nora Ericson
Illustrated by Elly MacKay
Abrams Books for Young Readers
Ages 3 to 7
'You wake up too early,' Daddy tells his early riser, as he shuffles the child down the stairs, trying not to wake the baby and letting Mama have more time in bed. Downstairs, he gets the coffee pot burbling and gives the early riser some warm milk before they both head out to the porch and snuggle together to watch the stars in the sky. An evocative text and glowing illustrations make this a perfect bedtime book, since it offers the promise of a new day to follow a night's sleep.
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Montreal Gazette
4 days ago
- Montreal Gazette
Books for Kids: Stories to send them to sleep
Books By Special to Montreal Gazette 'In the great green room there was a telephone and a red balloon and a picture of the cow jumping over the moon ...' When I acquired a copy of Goodnight Moon soon after the birth of my first child, the classic picture book by Margaret Wise Brown with those opening lines, originally published in 1947, left me decidedly underwhelmed. The text, in a lilting rhyme, basically consisted of a list of things in a room and Clement Hurd's illustrations, while colourful, struck me as flat-looking and simplistic. But reading the book to my sons at bedtime changed my mind. Their interest in pointing at items listed in the soothing, repetitive text helped explain why, decades later, Goodnight Moon remains a staple of nightly bedtime routines in households where sharing a book with little ones is valued. Goodnight Moon has become my go-to gift for new mothers (although I also like to tuck in Sandra Boynton's comical The Going to Bed Book, first published in 1982), but over the years plenty of other titles have made the list of bedtime books. Below, some new and relatively recent additions. By Shauntay Grant Illustrated by Zach Manbeck Tundra Books Ages 2 to 5 Nova Scotia's Shauntay Grant was inspired by Goodnight Moon when she wrote the rhyming text for this just-published picture book. Pennsylvania-based illustrator Zach Manbeck cites the film The Wizard of Oz and the paintings of Maxfield Parrish and Vincent van Gogh as his inspirations. The result is a lyrical bedtime book with golden mixed-media art that depicts a child busy with his toy box who allows himself to be carried off by a magical Mother Moon figure through a starry sky into a dreamlike playland filled with familiar toy characters, where he is finally lulled to sleep. The Great Dinosaur Sleepover By Linda Bailey Illustrated by Joe Bluhm Tundra Books Ages 4 to 8 Jake is about to celebrate a birthday; he invites three friends to a sleepover with a dinosaur theme. Jake loves dinosaurs! Everything is ready when the big day arrives — except that things go 'stupendously wrong' when his dad tells him the friends have all caught the flu and the sleepover will have to be postponed. 'But everything's ready NOW!' Jake wails. Too sad to eat, he goes to bed early, waking in the middle of the night when he hears a snort. Creeping downstairs, he finds three dinosaurs watching TV. It makes for the best birthday ever, especially when three more dinos join them for games outside. When he tells his parents about it the next morning, they say he must have been dreaming. Until one of his friends shows up with a special birthday gift! Happy Dreams, Little Bunny Written and illustrated by Leah Hong Little, Brown & Co. Ages 3 to 7 Little Bunny, the central figure in Leah Hong's bedtime story, has trouble getting to sleep, so his mom suggests turning some of the thoughts that keep him awake into dreams. 'It won't be hard,' she says, 'with your imagination.' Little Bunny enlists the help of his toy elephant and together they dream up a magical series of adventures that eventually help Little Bunny drift off to sleep. Beautifully illustrated in pastel, pencil crayon and graphite, the text is written as a loving question-and-answer exchange between Mommy and Little Bunny. Awake, Asleep By Kyle Lukoff Illustrated by Nadia Alam Orchard Books, a Scholastic imprint Ages 3 to 5 Beginning with 'a kiss, a blink, a dawn, a break,' author Kyle Lukoff and Toronto-based illustrator Nadia Alam introduce us to three diverse families and their young offspring as they go about a day's activities, occasionally crossing paths, until night falls and the book ends with 'a kiss, a blink, a night, asleep.' The minimal text, combined with the lively images, tells a story of three sets of neighbours and how their children interact. A wonderful bedtime book, since even those who can't read for themselves yet will be able to decode the images and appreciate their message of individuality and togetherness. Too Early By Nora Ericson Illustrated by Elly MacKay Abrams Books for Young Readers Ages 3 to 7 'You wake up too early,' Daddy tells his early riser, as he shuffles the child down the stairs, trying not to wake the baby and letting Mama have more time in bed. Downstairs, he gets the coffee pot burbling and gives the early riser some warm milk before they both head out to the porch and snuggle together to watch the stars in the sky. An evocative text and glowing illustrations make this a perfect bedtime book, since it offers the promise of a new day to follow a night's sleep.
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Book Review: A detective banished defies orders not to investigate a murder in 'Nightshade'
Detective Sergeant Stillwell of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has been banished from the homicide division. His sin: accusing his former partner of dropping a murder case for lack of evidence when, according to Stillwell, there was plenty of it. Branding him a troublemaker, his superiors packed him off to Catalina Island and put him in charge of a small, backwater office where cases normally range from petty theft to drunk and disorderly. This was supposed to be punishment, but Stillwell likes it. The island is beautiful. Recently divorced, he's already found a new love there. And he's relieved that he's free of department politics — or so he thinks. This cover image released by Little, Brown and Co. shows "Nightshade" by Michael Connelly. (Little, Brown and Co. via AP) In 'Nightshade,' Stillwell is introduced as a new series character by Michael Connelly, whose other repeating protagonists, including Harry Bosch and the Lincoln Lawyer, are regulars on the bestseller lists and subjects of popular television series. Like Bosch, Stillwell doesn't bow to authority and is relentless in pursuit of justice for crime victims. However, he's younger, easier to get along with, and seemingly less prone to violence. The trouble starts when a workman scraping barnacles from the hull of a yacht discovers the body of a woman bound to an anchor at the bottom of the harbor. The local mayor, whose main concern is attracting tourists and developers to the island, demands that the case be handled quietly. In his new role, Stillwell is required to turn the investigation over to the homicide division on the mainland, but when his former partner is assigned to the case — and ultimately arrests the wrong man — Stillwell again defies authority and launches his own investigation. In the end, he not only identifies the real killer but exposes the kind of dark conspiracy he thought he'd escaped when he moved to the island. At first, the plot unfolds slowly as the author introduces a new community of characters, but soon the pace picks up. As always with a Connelly novel, the characters are well drawn and the prose is tight, precise, and easy to read. ___ Bruce DeSilva, winner of the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award, is the author of the Mulligan crime novels including 'The Dread Line.' ___ AP book reviews:
Calgary Herald
21-05-2025
- Calgary Herald
Preview: Actress finds inspiration in fearlessness of young female characters Elle and Dorothy
Article content Kelsey Verzotti is legally brunette. Article content To play the heroines of Anne of Green Gables and Legally Blonde, Verzotti has had to rely on wigs. Article content For the Maritime orphan in Anne of Green Gables, which she played last summer, Verzotti donned the girl's trademark red pigtails, and for Elle Woods, the heroine of Legally Blonde, whom she plays for Theatre Calgary until June 15, Verzotti goes blond. Article content Article content 'The wigs and costumes help me drop into the characters. It's always a big transformation, but they are what make me feel like Anne and Elle,' says Verzotti. Article content Article content 'I've learned so much from playing Elle. She doesn't think badly about herself. I'm inspired by that. I've seen a mindset coach to help me do what Elle does naturally. My coach helps me understand why I am so hard on myself. There is none of that in Elle. She believes in herself. That's something I have to learn to do. Article content 'When Elle decides to go to Harvard, she has no negative feelings. She just takes her dog, and away they go. She knows she can do it. That's what's so great about her. That was the great thing about Anne in Anne of Green Gables, also. She was completely unafraid to speak her mind. She was so different than the rest of the uptight town.' Article content Verzotti says the character of Elle teaches her arch rival, Vivienne, an important lesson: Do not try to make yourself look better by making someone else look bad. Article content Article content 'Nobody benefits. It's a beautiful truth. At first, Vivienne tries to undermine Elle, but eventually they become the best of allies. They end up fighting for each other, not against each other.' Article content Article content Verzotti remembers having some of Elle and Anne's fearlessness when she was in Grade 12 at William Aberhart High School in 2012. CBC was running a contest called Over the Rainbow to find a girl who would play Dorothy in the Toronto version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Wizard of Oz. Verzotti was one of 20 finalists who went to the Dorothy Boot Camp, as it was called. Article content 'I was 17 years old. Very bright-eyed and inexperienced. But I had parents who believed in me. Article content 'That 20 was whittled down to 10, and I was one of them. I got eliminated, but not before I got to meet Andrew Lloyd Webber in his house in Barbados. One of the other girls was studying at Sheridan College in Toronto. She told me about the program and said that I should apply. I had already been accepted at the University of Calgary to study psychology, but after the experience with Over the Rainbow, I knew that what I really wanted to do.'
