Review by Booklist Review
Chorao's gouache-and-watercolor illustrations lend a new-fashioned slant to a bedtime book. On one side, beneath the large-type text that repeats the title refrain, are shadowy black silhouettes of a family of three, plus pets; on the opposing page, large color illustrations of a toddler enjoying the four seasons. The softly infused color pictures pair well with the spare text as the child makes a sand castle, chooses a pumpkin, dances with a snowman, and gathers tulips, all with a stuffed bunny at his side. At first, the purpose of the silhouettes isn't clear, but as each mini-scene depicts a step toward getting the boy ready for bed, the colorful images then become the sweet dreams. Kids will be drawn to the comforting cover image of a cute tyke cuddling his toy bunny.--Cummins, Julie Copyright 2009 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-A couple prepares their child for bed with gentle, lulling words. As they go about their bedtime rituals, the lullaby includes imagery of the four seasons. For spring, the toddler is told, "It's late./It's night./It's time to sleep./It's time to dream/of drifting clouds,/soft spring rains,/tulips, and daffodils." Realistic gouache and colored-pencil artwork on each spread portrays two separate events. The first is a richly detailed and colorful full-page depiction of the poetic text. The second appears at the bottom of the opposite page, a silhouetted family undergoing the various bedtime preparations until their playful child is finally asleep. Pair this with Kevin Henkes's Old Bear (Greenwillow, 2008) for some soothing seasonal lullabies.-Laura Butler, Mount Laurel Library, NJ Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Lyrical repetitive text encourages a child to fall asleep then dream about nature and its changes throughout the year ("It's time to sleep. / It's time to dream / of lazy summer days...of cool autumn winds"). Soft full-page watercolor, colored-pencil, and gouache illustrations reflect the text's descriptions, while black silhouette spot illustrations show the family's comforting nighttime routine. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
If the title recalls "Turn! Turn! Turn!" it should. Adler offers a spare, comforting bedtime book that incorporates the changing seasons into a child's nighttime dreams. There is little text on each page, just a few carefully chosen words evoking each season of the year in turn: "It's time to sleep. It's time to dream, so close your eyes and dream of resting beneath the budding maple tree." As a mother and father put their son to sleep, they say these quietly descriptive words to soothe him. Chorao makes an effective choice in illustrating the majority of the bedtime activities in silhouette form, while the boy's exuberant imaginings are rendered in vibrant color paintings. Throughout, small blue-and-white stars lend visual continuity to the whole, recontextualizing the boy's dreamsof spring flowers, summer sand and sea, autumn leaves and a snowmanwithin the bedtime framework. The simplicity of the text and the sensible selection of soothing colors will lull any child to sleep. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
