Night Night Sleep Tight

A dozen stories as a bedtime theme, mostly previously published as stand-alone picture books from The Bodley Head's list. While the cynical might see such reuse as a contribution to the publisher's bottom line, this selection is an inspired one which includes some of my favourite picture book stories. Shared last thing at night, stories like Mennen and Daly's 'One Round Moon and a Star for Me', John Prater's 'Timid Tim and the Cuggy Thief' or Virginia Mayo's The Swan' with their magical words and pictures will surely bestow a sense of awe and bedtime blessings on reader and listener alike. Who could fail to be enchanted by Susie Jenkin-Pearce and Julia Malim's poetic images of 'Rabbit Magic': '...Small boy follows through the gate. Golden time, berry time, crimson leaves in the lake. Footsteps follow, join the chase. Where to? Where next? ...' with for me anyway, echoes of Eliot's 'Burnt Norton'. Truly a book to dream on.