For parents who desperately want their bright-eyed, curious child to close their eyes for the day, While You Sleep We provide solutions. Written by Jennifer Marno and illustrated in collage by Miki Sato, this enchanting book lulls the most awake child into a dreamy sleep.
As the story begins, a little girl performs her bedtime rituals and her mother is by her side. When she closes her eyes, the stuffed rabbit comes to life and gets to work keeping the world in ship form. They must polish the sun, dust the butterflies, mend the clouds, and recharge the rainbow. Meanwhile, the girl is asleep and the watchful cat keeps her one eye open.
Illustration: Miki Sato
Like all good bedtime books, While You Sleep Acting as a lullaby, it soothes children with the rhythm of words and sleepy, whimsical images, transforming the darkness of night into a realm of magic, until morning all goes well. . It is small in the flower garden and huge in size overlooking the fields and houses. One of his most stunning illustrations is of a starry sky over a snowy landscape. The girl hovers by the Milky Way, thinking the cat is chasing the wool that the rabbit is using to weave a blanket of darkness around the sleepy child.
Marno’s delightful tales about hard-working bunnies and a world in need of nightly upkeep are inspiring and original, and her rhymes are sweet and satisfying. A child and her cat are entwined with the natural world, creating a sense of belonging and security.
Sato’s use of collage is clever and original, and children like to choose familiar materials. Clouds of cotton batting, the Milky Way made of felt, wool and beaded threads, gauze curtains swaying in the night breeze. While You Sleep You can also cast magical spells to help put little children to sleep and nudge sleepy adults in that direction.
