Bedtime Stories!

I'm featuring bedtime stories today - 3 reviews, two of which I absolutely loved and the third confused me a bit. I'm highlighting these today because this week is National Sleep Awareness Week and in my research I've discovered several bits of information that may be surprising to you!

• 3-5 year-old needs 13-15 hours of sleep.
• 5-12 year old needs 10-11 hours of sleep.
• Adults need 7-8 hours of sleep.
  
• National Sleep Awareness Week coincides with the end of Daylight Savings Time. You know what that means? At 1:00 am, this coming Sunday, March 8, the clocks spring ahead - an unofficial start of spring and an extra hour of daylight!

Sardenga, Jill.
K is for Kiss Good Night: A Bedtime Alphabet.
1994.
Doubleday Books for Young Readers.

Who ever thought someone could write an alphabet book about sleep? Well, it's been done, and this book is fabulous! Following a variety of young child as they embark on bedtime, Sardenga shares with readers the bedtime routines that help children embrace bedtime: flickering shadows on the wall, just one more bedtime story, lullaby lilting low, robe hanging on the bedpot... the list goes on... 25 deep until we finally reach Z (Zzz!) and the children are asleep at last!

This really is a wonderful bedtime story, and if it doesn't appeal as a story to you, why not give the different routines a try and see if they help improve bedtime in your house?

Willems, Mo.
Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!
2006.
Hyperion Books for Children.

This book was kind of confusing for me... I was a bit baffled as to who was telling the story. Was it the the guy in the pajamas on the first page, even before the title page? Was it a second pigeon that looked identical to the first? I'm still not sure, and while I'm sure children will probably love the events that take place, I was left wondering...

The pigeon is doing everything in his power to prolong bedtime - asking for more water, acting as a cheerleader, trying to talk about his day. However, another pigeon (I'll assume his mother) is yawning and desperately wants the pigeon to go to sleep. He just continues on with the bedtime rant, until he wears himself out and eventually falls asleep before making it to bed.

Again, I'm sure children will love the book and I've heard lots about the Pigeon series, so for that I'll try out a few more of them... I guess I'll just hope they don't confuse me as much as this one did!

Metaxas, Eric.
It's Time to Sleep, My Love.
2008.
Feiwel and Friends.

Of the three books I've read and have to review for today, this was by far my favorite. Nancy Tillman's illustrations are gorgeous and I could get lost in the book just looking at the illustrations alone! This is a must have on any young child's book shelf and would make for a wonderful gift to give a new baby! I honestly can't say enough about what I thought of this book.

The story itself features a variety of animals as they say goodnight to their child/children - fish saying goodnight beneath the deep waters, songbirds singing to their babies, panda bears, tigers, otters - all kinds of animals! The story ends as the author describes to a child that while he or she is sleeping and dreaming, all of these animals will be dreaming of "you, my love, of you, the one I love," leaving the child with a sweet, endearing message as they head off to dreamland each night.

Some Sleep Related Information:

• Children and Sleep
• Women and Sleep
• Adolescent Sleep Needs and Patterns
• Pointers for Parents
  

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com.