Before I Go to Sleep [Hardcover]

Thomas Hood (Author), Maryjane Begin (Illustrator)

Book Description

On a summer evening when it''s too hot to sleep, a child amuses himself by imagining all the animals he would like to be, including a tap dancing giraffe, a musical chimpanzee, and a goat in socks. The fun goes on until the boy is ready to sleep.'

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For children who find that the summer hours between bedtime and darkness are hard to pass, this book offers welcome relief. Fantasies that lead eventually to the Land of Nod run rampant in the head of a boy who must go to bed before nightfall. Dreams of being an industrious cat (mending a roof with the aid of mice and cardinals), a regal dog bedecked with crown and ermine-trimmed cape and a leaping mountain goat--complete with purple-and-pink-striped socks--pass through the restless child's mind. In style and content, Hood's 19th-century verse stands the test of time remarkably well, indicating that some of the problems children face are ageless. Begin-Callanan's splendidly detailed, deliciously colored paintings are filled with comical touches such as tourist penguins, with sardines hanging from the pockets of their "jams," lining up to buy ice cubes from a polar bear. By setting the pictures in progressive stages of darkness (similar to Clement Hurd's technique in Goodnight, Moon ), the artist gradually draws the curtain on consciousness until the last page shows the darkened room of the peacefully sleeping boy. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2Luminous acrylic illustrations bring this 19th-century poem to life. In the summer when I go to bed/The sun still streaming overhead/My bed becomes so small and hot/With sheets and pillow in a knot,/And then I lie and try to see/The things Id really like to be. In each of the following verses, a boy imagines that he is a different animal, and that creature, as well as the narrators dog, appears gloriously realized in the accompanying full-page painting. The text is pleasant enough, but it is Begins inventive menagerie that lifts this book above the standard illustrated bedtime verse. As the boy muses about being a giraffe (Id do a tap dance in the street/with little bells upon my feet), the picture shows a smiling giraffe, clad in a striped waistcoat and a bow tie, tap dancing through a rainy city scene. Or maybe next a mountain goat/With shaggy whiskers at my throat shows that animal springing across a gorge, clothed in old-fashioned mountaineering garb and carrying the dog in a backpack. A visual dream come true.Kathleen Whalin, Greenwich Country Day School, CT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (April 28, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688124240
• ISBN-13: 978-0688124243
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,292,913 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Before I Go to Sleep, January 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Before I Go to Sleep (Hardcover)

It's a rhyming book about a boy that lies in bed thinking of the things he would like to be. I would recommend this book to a younger audience as it is easy reading and there are more pictures than words. A book on poetry with excellent color illustrations, and would recommend it for the 2nd graders.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars review for: Before I Go To Sleep, April 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Before I Go to Sleep (Hardcover)

Realistic, detailed pictures. Modern in the way of letting kids know they can be anything they want to be, and fun because it takes you many places, it's adventurous.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the best bedtime book I've read to my children., September 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Before I Go to Sleep (Hardcover)

This book was very intertaining. It kept all of my children:10yrs, 5yrs, 2 1/2yrs and 1 1/2, interested thoughout the entire story. It is a fun book to read before bed. The illustrations are wonderful.