In the Night by Helga Bansch from Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Hardcover, 41 pages

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

ISBN13: 9780802854711

My thoughts: A really pretty book with whimsical drawings of animals as they sleep at night. The illustrations are charming and the pages each also have little pictures and details that add extra interest for the perceptive reader and listener.

Originally published in Europe, the book has a delightful sense of intellectual depth rare in children's books. While a true bedtime story that is gentle in its art and story about different critters settling down for sleep, there is a touch of mischievousness in the artists' conception - a child peers in from the outside as cat purrs behind the warm stove and tiny mouse is in the corner snuggled up to a ball. Or when leopard dozes on a branch (with leopard coat hung up on a coat hanger and ear muffs on a branch) and three mice stroll along under the leopard knowing they are safe. And then, of course, the child, Manu, sleeps peacefully in his bed with his cuddle toys.

As you reach the middle of the book, you flip it and begin again because at night things are not always what they seem to be. There is a dream aura to this part of the book as well as the illustrations. A bit bizarre, jumbled, and changed around. This can be interpreted when being read to the child as a funny sleep-change or it can be an opportunity to let the child know that dreams are often a bit mixed up and odd. This way he understands that if he, himself, dreams it is o.k. if things are mixed up.

Throughout the book, the moon is pictured in various stages. I just love the illustrations and their whimsical charm.

About the book: A whimsical and soothing bedtime story

At night, all the animals return to their homes to sleep. Birds dream in their nests, polar bears snore inside their ice caves, and children snuggle under the covers of their beds. Everything is in order. Unless, of course, it isn’t. Sometimes the world — or the book — gets turned upside down. And then things aren’t quite as simple.With its sweet, winsome illustrations, this book is perfect for sharing with children as they drift off into their own imaginative dreams.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy from Eerdmans to facilitate this review. Opinions are my own and I was not compensated.