Switching on the Moon: A Very First Book of Bedtime Poems

This wide-ranging collection of bedtime poems is an inspired baby gift that will find a treasured place on children’s nightstands everywhere.

From the hoot of an owl to the horns of the city, from children giggling in the bath to the hushed notes of a lullaby, here is an exquisite anthology that captures the universal poetry of bedtime. Expertly gathered by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters, these sixty poems range from old favorite poets such as Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Sylvia Plath, and Eleanor Farjeon to beloved contemporary poets like Marilyn Singer, Lee Bennett Hopkins, and Children’s Poet Laureate Mary Ann Hoberman. Beautifully illustrated by G. Brian Karas with richness and whimsy, Switching on the Moon is the perfect book to share with a child to usher in a night of sweet dreams.
Back matter includes an index of first lines and an index of poets.

Jane Yolen is the author of more than 250 books for children and young adults, including Soft House, Owl Moon, and How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? She also collected poems for This Little Piggy: Lap Songs, Finger Plays, Clapping Games, and Pantomime Rhymes, an anthology of rhymes and games for toddlers. Jane Yolen divides her time between Massachusetts and Scotland. 

Andrew Fusek Peters is a poet and anthologist whose work has appeared in collections for children and teens. He has also written many books. Andrew Fusek Peters lives in Shropshire, England.

G. Brian Karas has illustrated close to ninety children’s books, including Megan McDonald’s Ant and Honey Bee: A Pair of Friends. He has also written and illustrated several titles, including Home on the Bayou, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor winner. He lives in Rhinebeck, New York.