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WHERE DO YOU SLEEP, LITTLE ONE?

Name: WHERE DO YOU SLEEP, LITTLE ONE?
Author: Patricia Hooper
ISBN: 0-8234-1668-2

by Patricia Hooper & illustrated by John Winch ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 2001

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A series of questions and answers couched in rhymed couplets investigates the resting places of a succession of wild and domestic animals, ranging from the chipmunk to the wren, to the pony, goat, and sheep in this gentle bedtime story. “Little spider on the wall, / Tell me, do you sleep at all? / When the stars light up the skies, / I weave a cradle, just my size.” The language is soft and sibilant, like a lullaby. Even though danger lurks outside, each animal has a place of refuge. The unusual artwork, with unifying motifs of embossed monochromatic eucalyptus leaves and detailed insects, was made with oil paint on prepared, French, handmade Arches paper. The animals were cut out, arranged in layers, and then photographed against embossed backgrounds. Although some of the animals verge on cuteness, the predominant visual impression is one of natural textures. The cover and the title prefigure the ending, revealed in pictures only, where the animals gather around a stable, a white cloth radiating light from a manger, a resting place for one unseen child. The harmonious art, gentle verses, and comforting yet mysterious view of nature should make this a nursery favorite. (Picture book. 2-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2001

ISBN: 0-8234-1668-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Holiday House

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2001

Categories:

CHILDREN'S POETRY

- BOOK REVIEW
A STORMY RIDE ON NOAH’S ARK
by Patricia Hooper & illustrated by Lynn Munsinger

- BOOK REVIEW
HOW THE SKY'S HOUSEKEEPER WORE HER SCARVES
by Patricia Hooper & illustrated by Susan L. Roth

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ON THE FARM

by David Elliott & illustrated by Holly Meade ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2008

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Energetic woodcuts accompany playfully simple poems as they give young readers an engaging tour of the barnyard. From the usual suspects—rooster, cow, sheep—to some of the less celebrated denizens of the farm—snake, bees, turtle—each poem varies to suit its subject. The barn cat’s verse is succinct: “Mice / had better / think twice.” The snake’s winds its way down the page in sinuous shape. At their best, Elliott’s images are unexpected and all the more lovely: The turtle “Lifts her fossil head / and blinks / one, two, three / times in the awful light.” Others are not so successful, but Meade’s illustrations give them credence: The rooster “Crows and struts. / He’s got feathers! / He’s got guts!” This rhythmic but rather opaque assertion is accompanied by an oversized rooster who dominates the foreground; eyes shut in concentration, he levitates himself with the force of his crow—the very embodiment of “guts.” Farmyard books are a dime a dozen, but this one is a worthwhile addition, for those poems that reach beyond the ordinary and for the good-natured illustrations that complement them. (Picture book/poetry. 2-5)

Pub Date: March 1, 2008

ISBN: 978-0-7636-3322-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2008

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S POETRY

- BOOK REVIEW
AT THE POLES
by David Elliott ; illustrated by Ellen Rooney

- BOOK REVIEW
AT THE POND
by David Elliott ; illustrated by Amy Schimler-Safford

- BOOK REVIEW
COLOR THE SKY
by David Elliott ; illustrated by Evan Turk

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TWINKLE, TWINKLE, DINOSAUR

From the Twinkle, Twinkle series

by Jeffrey Burton ; illustrated by Zoe Waring ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 28, 2019

Amiable if slight.

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In a text that can be sung to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” a young dinosaur plays with other prehistoric friends and gets ready for bed.

In this companion piece to Twinkle, Twinkle Unicorn (2019), each double-page spread features a friendly, green theropod with rosy cheeks watching pink pterosaurs fly, using a sauropod’s tail as a sliding board, and watching volcanoes explode in the night sky. As the sun sets, the dinosaur yawns and heads back home to two larger dinosaurs, one pink with eyelashes and one blue without, who appear to be mama and papa dinosaur respectively (did color stereotyping based on gender exist 65 million years ago? And why isn’t the protagonist dinosaur mauve?). Waring has arguably created the most benign and affable dinosaurs possible, with their perpetual smiles, rounded horns and teeth, oversized eyes, and brightly colored hides. Weighing in at only a slight 16 pages, the book runs through two modified verses of the classic, and the first scans quite fluidly. The second stanza feels a little forced to make it fit into the bedtime theme: “Twinkle, twinkle dinosaur, / the day is done. / It’s time to snore.”

Amiable if slight. (Board book. 2-4)