Sleep Tight, Platypup is about being afraid of the dark.
The dark has lots of things that are scary, particularly when you're young. Especially shadows and rustling noises.
In this story, a baby platypus, called a platypup, encounters these shapes and sounds as he tries to sleep in his burrow.
And his mummy teaches him how to look at the night to take the mystery out of it all.
Platypup discovers the night is not just filled with darkness, but also with light.
There is the moon, the stars, and bright wattle blossoms. There's also moonlight on the water.
When new sounds make themselves heard, mummy reminds platypup to look for other things to take the mystery away, and he eventually returns to bed to sleep tight.
Renee Treml is great at creating beautiful stories featuring animals, like wombats, owls and other creatures. They are simple and break down potentially big concepts into something that is easy for young children to understand.
Her illustrations are gorgeous, too. A combination of washes of colour (shades of purples and blues that match the darkness of night) and black and white scratchboard drawings.
If you need to help dispel fears in young children, especially the mysteries of the night, Sleep Tight, Platypup is a really good place to start.
Title: Sleep Tight, Platypup
Author/illustrator: Renee Treml
Publisher: Puffin, $19.99
Publication Date: February 2019
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780143789697
For ages: 3--7 year olds
Type: Picture book
