posted on 30 Dec 2018

Sleep by Kate Prendergast

Soft and restful illustrations with minimal text are what characterise this beautiful picture book - which is entirely appropriate as the story is all about how different animals get themselves comfortable when it comes time for them to go to sleep. The cover shows a sleeping mouse curled up in a cosy circular nest which mirrors the shape of the full creamy moon resting on the horizon and so before even opening this one, I knew that I would enjoy it because, alongside reading books, sleeping is probably my favourite hobby these days. Who would choose going for a run, going to the gym or spending hours trudging round the shops when you could be curled up in bed instead?

We are always pleased to review any books published by Old Barn Books because they prioritise the importance of providing a positive aesthetic experience where readers are encouraged to linger and look closely at illustrations. As usual, every page is a delight to savour in terms of overall design and colour with different layouts. These range from double page spreads like the ones showing Meercats who ‘sleep in a heap’, facing pages showing how ‘Giraffes sleep standing up’ and ‘Sloths sleep upside-down’ ( with the text presented upside down accordingly), to two pages of thought bubbles depicting how different animals dream, if indeed they do. I rather liked the bears, who are lucky enough to sleep all winter long dreaming of a golden honeycomb and the tortoise dreaming about winning a race. Even the ant, who we have been told on a previous page can only sleep for a few moments at a time, dreams about being tucked up in a cosy bed where s/he is presumably able to sleep for much longer.

The final pages provide some ‘amazing animal facts’ which I found fascinating and I am certain would be a good starting point for children to find out more information about the animals featured in the book. This is a non-fiction book with a clear message from the author/illustrator, Kate Prendergast, about taking care of animals as she points out that several of those featured are facing ‘a conservation crisis’.

The publisher states that ‘we often find our inspiration in nature and from all over the globe’ and they are to be congratulated for producing a book that will have pride of place on my shelves. If you want to encourage children to add to their knowledge and play their part in caring for creatures in the natural world, then this is a must have.

 

Karen Argent

December 2018

(Click on any image below to view them in a slide show format)