Hush Little Ones

This book invites children to join animals from around the world as they go to sleep in their natural environments. Each baby – including rabbit, monkey, mouse, tiger, penguin, kangaroo, bear, zebra, duckling and whale – is shown snuggled close to its parent. So it would be a very comforting book to read to under-fours just before they go to sleep whether they are having a nap after lunch at nursery school or about to go to bed at home. The rhythmic, rhyming text will please: children will start to join in if this becomes part of the bedtime ritual.

The animals are all unbelievably pristine and children will not gain much insight into the behaviour and nature of the different species. But who wants to be frightened just before they go to sleep! The safe, nurturing world presented here will help children settle.