Jane Dyer's gorgeous watercolour illustrations are... well, just that: gorgeous. There's something magical about the night-sky backdrop that Dyer has created for each picture, and the reader feels they are somehow sharing in this intimate moment alongside the animals.
One aspect I especially appreciate about Time For Bed is the way the human child is depicted. The child is beautiful yet genderless; that is, this could be a boy or a girl, and that allows for your sleepy moppet to see themselves in the picture.
The repetitive verse is calming. It's the sort of book you start reading at normal volume and then somehow end on a softer note.
My regular yardstick for quality writing, my toddler, can be counted amongst the many fans of this book. Not to mention that it's a Mem Fox creation and, let's be honest, she's usually a pretty safe bet for a good book.
Title: Time for Bed
Author: Mem Fox
Illustrator: Jane Dyer
Publisher: Scholastic, $14.99 RRP
Publication Date: 1 March 2007
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781862917149
For ages: 18 months - 7 years
Type: Picture Book
