Are You Awake? by Sophie Blackall

Edward wakes up in the middle of the night and can’t sleep.  Luckily, his mother is right there though she is sleeping.  But Edward has so many questions to ask, that he can’t help but ask them right then and there.  The recurring question is “Why is it still nighttime?”  His mother has many answers for that question:  the alarm clock hasn’t rung yet, the sun hasn’t risen yet.  But Edward continues to ask a series of spiraling, looping questions that are endearing, charming and yes, enough to keep even the more tired mother awake.  As the book progresses, the two of them start talking about yellow things, and as Edward’s mother lists more and more things that are yellow, he begins to drowse, just as the room fills with the yellow light of the sun.

The conversations between mother and child in this book are so natural that all families will have some version of this story in their personal histories.  The lines of text are done in two different fonts, one for each character, so their voices are easily read aloud, but no extra words are needed.  Thanks to this, the book has a flow and ease to it that is just as charming as the conversation happening between mother and son.

Blackall’s illustrations play with the dim nighttime room, using just subtle touches of color in the otherwise black and white illustrations.  Readers with sharp eyes will notice the subtle changes as the night progresses, from a deep darkness, to blue tinged, to pinks, and finally to the bold yellow of the sunny day. 

Filled with gentle humor, clever writing and illustrations that convey the loving relationship, this book is a small gem ideal for bedtime reading snuggling under the covers.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt.

Bedtime Monster by Heather Ayris Burnell, illustrated by Bonnie Adamson

When Paul was told that it’s time to go to bed, he is too busy playing to hear it.  When Mom reminded him again that it’s time for bed, he grumbled, then screeched.  And then?  Then a strange thing happened and Paul turned into a monster, complete with scaly tail and sharp claws.  Paul acted like a monster too, banging and crashing around the house.  His parents knew just what to do.  They scooped him up, sang him a lullaby, and slowly Paul returned to being a boy and went to bed.  At the end of the book, Paul’s father admits that he too was once a little monster, and readers will delight in spotting his monster tail as he stands in the doorway. 

Burnell’s text is simple and straight-forward.  She keeps the text brief enough to be used with very small children at bedtime.  Adamson’s watercolor and ink illustrations are very successful with their textured background that adds depth and their bright colors.  She captures the transformation into a monster with a sweetness and non-scary approach. 

Thanks to the gentle humor of the text and images, children will understand that they can sometimes be monsters too.  The reactions of the parents is lovely and patient, something that is also great to see in a picture book.

Yes, there are many bedtime books to choose from, but this one’s quiet humor and lovely illustrations should get it added to the bedtime pile.  It’s very nice for those children who might turn a little green at bedtime themselves.

Reviewed from ARC received from Raven Tree Press.