Sweet Dreamers - Hardcover

Simler, Isabelle

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0802855172 ISBN 13: 9780802855176

Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2019

Synopsis

A gorgeous bedtime book from an award-winning creator

From the celebrated creator of Plume and The Blue Hour comes another enchanting animal book. Countless cozy animals are settling in for the night, but they all sleep in different ways. A bat dreams upside down, a hedgehog snuggles into a pile of leaves, and a humpback whale spins in its sleep like a ballerina.

With its poetic language and lush illustrations, Sweet Dreamers will dazzle young readers as they drift off to sleep themselves.

About this title

About the Author

 

Isabelle Simler has written and illustrated over twenty children's books. The Blue Hour, Sweet Dreamers, My Wild Cat, Plume, and A Perfect Spot (all Eerdmans) were each featured in the Society of Illustrators "The Original Art" annual exhibition, and Plume was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book. Isabelle lives in France. Follow her on Instagram @isabellesimler or visit her website at isabellesimler.com.

Reviews

K-Gr 3—Lyrical language and stunning, semi-realistic digital artwork strike a serene balance between dreamland and the natural world. Atmospheric spreads and imagery-packed verses depict a variety of sleeping animals in their habitats. "The humpback whale/dreams vertically… Balancing on her head/or the tip of her tail,/this ballerina nosedives/into sleep." Some of the entries lean more toward the whimsical: "Slung like a hammock,/the sloth dreams/of spring-loaded sprinters,/of rockets blasting off,/of pump-action spinning tops./When the stopwatch starts,/our dreaming racer/doesn't move/an inch." Contrasting dusky hues with bright oranges and greens, Simler's handsomely composed images expertly use lines to create texture and depth. Most animals are depicted with both a full-body image and a zoomed-in shot. Wordless double-page renderings of various biomes are interspersed throughout, providing opportunity to discuss species' habitats. A glowing full moon adorns many of the spreads, adding continuity and building toward the final scene, where a child dreams of interacting with these animals "beneath the moon." VERDICT Share this exquisite offering as an introduction to the sleep habits of different animals, an imagination-stirring example for poetry writing, or a soothing bedtime story to inspire sweet dreams.—Joy Fleishhacker, Pikes Peak Library District, Colorado Springs

Edition details

• Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0802855172
• ISBN 13: 9780802855176
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 80