Getting children to bed early in summer can be difficult - it's not dark early enough to encourage sleep. Maybe a few "going-to-bed" books will help.
One of my favorites is PAPA'S BEDTIME STORY by Mary Lee Donovan (Knopf, 1993). In this story, a child begs "Papa, please tell me a bedtime story . . . . " and throughout the farm all baby animals beg their papas for the same thing. In full-page watercolor paintings, Kimberly Bulcken Root has portrayed animal families in dens, fields, nests, caves and "a small snug place" where mice, rabbits, owls and crickets go to bed. This is just right for the child who is just learning that all creatures sleep.Bedtime and lullabies go together. Folk singer Tom Paxton has created a verse for THE ANIMAL'S LULLABY (Morrow, 1993), which is beautifully illustrated by Erick Ingraham. The soft watercolors set the mood for "Evening is slowly falling/Sandman is coming by. . . . " The inside cover has notation for a simple melody.
Another book for singing is THE SLEEPY BOOK: A LULLABY by Judy Hindley, illustrated by Patrice Aggs (Orchard, 1992). The animated drawings support the lyrical verses, "Lay down your head now/Snuggle up tight/Give me a kiss/Turn off the light. . . . " Even though there is no melody, the rhythm of the words can be chanted or set to a familiar tune.
An older sister comforts a little boy who is frightened by a raging storm and doesn't want to go to bed in SHH! THE WHALE IS SMILING by Josephine Nobisso, with drawings by Maureen Hyde (Green Tiger Press, 1992). Her lullaby takes them rolling, whirling, twirling into the depths where "the whale is singing. He hums a booming mystery that sways us . . . " Some children will not find solace in this trip underwater, but others will join the boy in his peaceful slumber "in the soft, warm cozy darkness."
Two older bedtime books that have been used for generations are Margaret Wise Brown's A CHILD'S GOODNIGHT BOOK (Harper, 1943) and GOODNIGHT MOON (Harper, 1947). In both, children snuggle under their covers as they consider how animals and moving objects also rest.
"Mama, does everything go to sleep at night?" a child asks in WHILE I SLEEP by Mary Calhoun illustrated by Ed. Young (Morrow, 1992). The predictable text is soothing, and the elegant pastel drawings add to the book's beauty.
FOOTPRINTS AND SHADOWS by Anne Wescott Dodd (Simon and Schuster, 1992) is stunning collection of full-color two-page spreads painted by Henri Sorensen. The scenes from the sea, mountains and farmyard could be enjoyed alone for their beauty, but the message of the fleeing nature of both footprints and shadows is fresh and new. "Footprints in the mud stay put until a gentle rain washes them away." And where do the shadows come from and where do they go? "Long shadows move mysteriously on a moonlit night. Someone flicks a light on. They quickly run away. . . . "
This is a wonderful book for the reassurance that "shadows come and shadows go, never leaving footprints . . . "
Karen Ackerman's I KNOW A PLACE (Houghton Mifflin, 1992) tells about a child's day from morning until night. This familiarity makes home and bed a welcome place to go. Deborah Kogan Ray's soft drawings from a youngster's point of focus makes this a favorite read-aloud.
I adore the farmer in ROCK-A-BYE-BABY FARM by Diane Johnston Hamm (Simon and Schuster, 1992)! Not only does he rock the baby to sleep but he rocks each of the farm animals as well; sheep, pig, cow (in a fork lift) and horse (in a wagon). "Now that everyone's asleep . . . the Farmer rocks himself. . . . " Rick Brown's comic illustrations add humor to this simple text.