Review by Booklist Review
Like A Book of Sleep (2009), this inviting bedtime story is an owl's guided tour of the outdoors at night; here, though, the focus is on what animals do while people sleep instead of the variations of animal slumber. Edwards' text, featuring three rhyming lines followed by the title refrain, is narrated by an owl, who turns out to be huge enough to carry a child on his back. (The owl induces the kid to climb to him from his or her bedroom window and returns the child to bed at the end of the book.) Each spread describes an animal or two with lively succinctness: A bright-eyed fox is on the prowl, / He hopes to take a juicy fowl, / Until he hears the guard dog howl, / While the world is sleeping. Kirk's illustrations are big and bold, featuring the shimmering light of the moon, animals whose every hair seems distinct, and playful faux-Rousseau forests. The book's mix of the realistic and fantastic seems like a perfect prelude to dream time.--Nolan, Abby Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"Come little sleepyhead, come with me,/ I've left my hole high in the tree./ Oh, what wondrous things we'll see,/ While the world is sleeping." Edwards (Dinosaur Starts School) issues readers this lyrical invitation as an enormous white owl swoops toward a lit bedroom window, where a child climbs onto its back for a moonlit tour of the countryside. With fluid rhyme and a calming cadence, the verse chronicles the nighttime habits of various animals. Deer frolic, rabbits play, beavers build a dam, and a raccoon eyes tempting garbage cans. (Though deer and rabbits are more active at twilight than at midnight, readers are no more likely to be bothered by this than by a giant owl offering nocturnal rides to children.) Kirk's (Library Mouse) luminescent, finely detailed gouache paintings give the animals hyperreal cuteness; their gleaming eyes have more than a hint of personification. The art also offers entertaining background diversions, as animals make surprise return appearances. This satisfying lullaby is a pleasure for ears and eyes. Ages 4-8. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-A pajama-clad girl accepts a great snowy owl's invitation to explore the evening landscape in this bedtime story (Orchard Books, 2010) by Pamela Duncan Edwards. Over the hills and valleys they fly. Soft night music, soothing as a lullaby, evokes the magic of the owl's flight. As deer pause for a drink, silver fish swim in a river flowing to the sea. A bright-eyed fox prowls by the chicken house until a guard dog barks. A mother mouse keeps watch over her children so no slithering snake can harm them. Beavers work on their dam, and a porcupine rattles his quills in warning. Rita Pardue weaves a spell as she reads this poem, with stanzas composed of three rhymed lines followed by "while the world is sleeping." Daniel Kirk's full-color gouache paintings are presented iconographically with moonlight adding a touch of fantasy to images so realistic that every hair, feather, and leaf seems distinct. When the girl has seen what the owl sees, he takes her back to her room as the sun rises. The last picture shows her sleeping, a snowy owl toy tucked in bed with her. Particularly fine insights are given in a conversation with the author and the illustrator. Edwards invites youngsters to think not only about nocturnal animals but also about those who are seen in the daytime. Kirk tells of the creation of a snowy owl big enough to carry a little girl on his back. Richly satisfying.-Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
One night an owl flies a "sleepyhead" child through the sky and reveals how various animals spend their time after sundown. The graceful rhymes ("A sleek raccoon with bandit eyes, / Takes his nightly exercise") and calm, moonlit illustrations (some featuring animals in close-up) create a soothing lullaby. (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
A giant snowy owl pays a visit to a young child, introducing him/her to some nocturnal animals. The child clings to the owl's back while they visit river, meadow, farmyard, stream and woods. "In the woods, a porcupine, / Rattles quills to send a sign, / Don't come near, this food is mine! / While the world is sleeping." With the exception of two, the rhymes work well and, with its repetitive phrasing, this would make for a good read-aloud in group settings. While most of the creatures are in fact nocturnal, Edwards includes deer and rabbits, which are crepuscular. The ending leaves open for readers the opportunity to have an adventure of their owna stuffed owl on the bed suggests the power of imagination. Kirk's sharp-edged gouache artwork stops short of pure realism, rounding the animals a bit to suit a younger audience (though the fox's pop eyes look downright sinister). At the same time, children are given an extreme close-up view of most. Muted colors enhance the nocturnal theme. An imaginative look at nighttime nature. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
