Sleep, Little Child

Sleep, Little Child is a picture book of a rhyming lullaby written by Marc Hoffman. Framed by gentle instrumental music, Hoffman and his wife both sing and narrate the lyrical tune on an accompanying CD. (There is also an all-instrumental track.) The watercolor pictures, created by Tony Waters, hold a calm, cozy appeal perfect for bedtime. They depict a young tousle-haired boy and baby sibling being tucked into bed by obviously caring and loving parents. The text and the pictures work well together. For example, when the author states that the little child will be watched over by his Heavenly Father, the illustrations shows equal devotion by the earthly parents. As the boy peacefully slumbers, we see him dream of playing in the clouds. The book features large text, with only a few words or phrases per page. Therefore, most of the story is “told” through the watercolor images. The last page of the book provides the sheet music for the lullaby.

What I Like: I love the idea of setting up a bedtime routine that includes a song and a book…and this lullaby lends itself well to this type of ritual. I can envision toddlers snuggling up with book in tow.

What I Dislike: I tend to like lullabies written in a minor key, but that’s less of a dislike than a preference. Also a personal preference: I didn’t like the stuffed monkey the boy slept with. However, my daughter thought it was cute. (Other than the monkey, I thought the illustrations were quite pleasant and comforting.)

Overall Rating: Excellent. My daughter said it was very sweet.

Age Appeal: No age is listed, but I think it would work best for toddlers, ages 2-5.

Publisher Info: Virillion Music, 2010; ISBN:978-0-615-31434-1; Hardcover, 27 PGS., $17.95

This book is not available at Christianbook.com.
Buy it at Amazon.com for $17.95.