I Love You, Sleepyhead

Arresting pictures of different animal mothers with their babies (lions, rabbits, deer, monkeys, otters etc) immediately draw the eye in this quite charming lullaby book for bedtime or talk time. Even the penguins on the cover portray warmth despite the feel of intense polar cold, and each turn of the page reveals a new setting and family. The text is gentle, in flowing rhyme, two verses to each spread. Without the excellent, authentic pictures, this picture book might have been twee, but no, it rings with maternal love, and should be a favourite bedtime book for sleepyheads. Opening with ‘Look, little child, /as the night is unfurled, / animals going to bed /round the world,’ it closes with ‘Cuddled up close, / she gives him a kiss. /Tucked up together, /they’re perfect like this. /Sleep, child, like the animals, /in the starlight. /I love you, sleepyhead, /sweet dreams – goodnight!’ A perfect book for giving and keeping.