While You Sleep

While You Sleep
Co-Authors / Illustrators
  • Miki Sato
Publisher Name
Pajama Press
Genre(s)
Age Range
1+
Release Date
November 29, 2022
ISBN13
978-1772782677
ISBN10 or ASIN
      
Breathtaking collage art and exquisite rhyming couplets showcase fantastical dreams as the natural world is prepared for a new day in this gentle bedtime book.
As the day ends and a little girl is put to sleep by her mother, night-helper bunnies work their magic to tidy and polish the world. These helpers paint flowers, dust butterflies, and charge rainbows to make the world a beautiful place to wake up to.

Miki Sato’s collage art, which combines paper, textiles, and embroidery silk, creates a three-dimensional dream world that is rich in detail and texture. Jennifer Maruno uses soothing rhyming couplets that celebrate the beauty of nature, creating a uniquely magical world.

Editor review

1 review
sweet and whimsical picture book
Overall rating
 
4.3
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
5.0
WHILE YOU SLEEP is a sweet picture book that settles children to sleep with rhyming text and whimsy. The story tells of a child going to sleep and describes the things that happen while they slumber, such as the sun being polished, elderflowers being cut from lace, and rainbows brightened. These tasks are being performed by the child's stuffed rabbits, who join her in sleep at the end.

What I loved: This is quite a whimsical story that imagines the planet and universe as being crafted while children sleep. Told in a rhyming pattern, the rhythm is one that little ears will appreciate and works well for reading aloud at bedtime. The illustrations are really unique, appearing as though they have texture, made from collages and photographed. They are quite lovely and thoughtful with plenty for children to explore on each page.

The text remains large and clear on each page, making it a solid choice for bedtime and lowlight. Combined with the theme and rhymes, this works well for a nighttime pick. The short amount of text to pictures and quickly turning pages will work well for little ones, including toddlers and preschoolers.

What left me wanting more: As a small thing, some (very few) of the phrases are a bit awkward to make the rhymes work, so they make the tongue stumble a little as they are being read. Children who are becoming more curious about the world around them may need/want additional explanations that this story is just pretend and such chores are not performed.

Final verdict: WHILE YOU SLEEP is a sweet and whimsical bedtime story that invites readers to imagine the world and universe as something being crafted during slumber.
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