Originally published by Broadman Press in 1956, My Go to Bed Book is a timeless treasure promoting simple values that families still hold dear today. From pajamas to prayers, this classic message teaches children appropriate bedtime behavior, and the endearing illustrations have a nostalgic charm reminiscent of Goodnight Moon and Curious George.
Uncovered in the B&H Publishing Group archives, this affordably priced and gold-stamped 50th Anniversary edition of My Go to Bed Book will attract a whole new generation of children and parents who are always on the lookout for a wonderful bedtime story.
Endorsement
"Timeless . . . My Go to Bed Book should be right next to Goodnight Moon at every child's bedside."--LuAnn Salz, Green River Books, Princeton, IL
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY - Forgotten Bedtime Classic Celebrated
According to Paul Mikos, executive director of B&H Publishing Group, a Christian press in Nashville, Tenn., My Go to Bed Book, which was first released by Broadman Press in 1956, and out of print for the past 20 years, was discovered in the press's archives last year. Believing that the book's simple message of appropriate bedtime behavior, from pajamas to prayers, would charm modern Christian families as much as it had their 1950s-era counterparts, B&H editors were eager to reissue this title. They wanted details on the rights to My Go to Bed Book, but all documentation relating to the title was lost, and contact information for the author, Hildegarde Ford, and illustrator, Mary Win, was hopelessly out of date.
Consequently Mikos did what any self-respecting 21st-century amateur detective would do: he performed a Google search last fall on both Ford and Win, quickly discovering their whereabouts in Princeton. After entering into negotiations with Ford, whose real name was Velma Ford Morrison, and her family, a new contract was issued four months before Morrison died this past April, just two weeks shy of her 98th birthday. Win, now Mary Win Walter Norris, 93, still lives in the 150-year-old Victorian house in which she grew up.
In September, B&H will release the 50th-anniversary board book edition of My Go to Bed Book with a 30,000-copy print run. The town of Princeton plans on honoring Norris by making her the Honorary Grand Marshall of the Homestead Festival Parade, as well as hosting an exhibit of her artwork at the Prairie Arts Council on Princeton's town square. Local indie bookseller Green River Books has also scheduled a signing with Norris at its store that weekend. And B&H is donating a complete catalogue of children's books to the local library, in honor of Morrison.
Describing how B&H's first print run had expanded from a proposed 12,000 to 30,000 copies, due to strong pre-orders, Mikos explained, "Every element in [this book] is timeless. Children seem themselves in it today as much as they did 50 years ago. So do their parents."
"My Go to Bed Book should be next to Goodnight Moon at every child's bedside," LuAnn Salz, owner of Princeton's Green River Books, said, referring to the classic bedtime story, itself first published in 1947.
BOOKPAGE - Resurrecting a bedtime book from a bygone era
The title page announces that this "is a book that mothers will appreciate because of its appeal in making bed-time a pleasant, happy experience for the child." And also for the parents, we would add. The charming tow-headed youngster pictured in My Go to Bed Book dutifully observes the 7:00 time on a wall clock and begins his bedtime routine--taking off his "britches," bathing, brushing his teeth, hearing a bedtime story from his mother and saying his prayers before quietly slipping into bed. Parents everywhere will sigh and wonder, why isn't bedtime like this at our house?
The author of this comforting little tale was Hildegarde Ford, an Illinois woman who couldn't find the kind of books she wanted to read to her children and decided to write her own. Ford (who used her maiden name when writing and was actually known as Velma Morrison) joined with illustrator Mary Win to create My Go to Bed Book, which was first published by Broadman Press in 1956 and has been out of print for more than 20 years. Described as a Renaissance woman, Ford taught school, ran a dairy farm with her husband, raised four children, studied genetics and archaeology in her spare time (she was one of the first to raise and sell hybrid chickens) and traveled the world with her husband after retirement. She was excited by the publisher's plan to re-release her book, although she did not live to see it happen. Ford died in April in Princeton, Illinois, at the age of 97. Her illustrator, Mary Win Walter Norris, now 93, still lives in Princeton and paints occasionally in her studio.
B&H Executive Editor Paul Mikos, who stumbled across an original copy of My Go to Bed Book in the company's archives, recalls, "The art captured my attention immediately, striking me as both nostalgic and timeless." His curiosity piqued, Mikos began researching the book's history. "It sat on my desk for several weeks while I Googled and sleuthed, trying to find more information on the author and illustrator. Nearly everyone who visited my office during that time had to pick up the book or comment that the style and colors reminded them of Goodnight Moon or Curious George."
Now, Mikos says, his own daughter is enjoying the book. "My two-year-old has worked it into her bedtime ritual, insisting on reading it four or five times each sitting," he says.
Mikos credits Carol Bird, director of the Matson Public Library in Princeton, as being instrumental in tracking down Ford and Win and connecting them with their former publisher. The library will celebrate the grand opening of a new facility in September, and B&H has donated a complete collection of its children's books in honor of Velma Hildegarde Ford Morrison.
About the Author
Velma Hildegarde Ford Morrison, a Drake University graduate, taught school, married, and ran a dairy with her husband of sixty years. She studied genetics as a hobby and was a pioneer in the area of hybrid chicks and hybrid seed corn. Later in life she studied archeology and traveled the globe. When she couldn't find books she felt were suitable for her children she ordered books about publishing from the library and started the Morrison Book Company where she published some fifteen books for children, authoring the books under her maiden name, Hildegarde Ford, and running the business under her married name, Velma Morrison. Mrs. Morrison raised four children, fifteen grandchildren, twenty-seven great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren at the time of her death, April 14, 2007, just two weeks shy of her 98th birthday. The Morrison family has directed memorials to the Matson Public Library in Princeton, IL.
Mary Win Walter Norris, lives in the 150-year old Victorian family home where she grew up in Princeton, IL. Mrs. Norris, 93, attended the University of Chicago and graduated from the University of Illinois. She studied art at the Art Students League in New York and at the Chicago Academy of Fine Art. She still paints occasionally in her studio where she has done hundreds, maybe thousands, of portraits and landscapes--the same studio where she painted the illustrations for My Go to Bed Book. She taught art at Princeton High School for many years, and is a highly regarded member of her community where her work hangs in many of the local buildings and businesses, from the hospital to the Presbyterian church.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A simpler time.....,
By
This review is from: My Go to Bed Book (Board book)
One of the many joys of parenting is the sharing of wonderful memories from our own childhood with our children. Reading books at bedtime that connect us both to our children and to our past is a simple but extremely rewarding experience. I am so pleased to see that this treasure is once more available for a new generation of parents and children.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great children's book with retro images,
This review is from: My Go to Bed Book (Board book)
Hildegarde Ford's "My Go to Bed Book" is a treasure, as are Mary Win's illustrations. This book hearkens to an earlier era, and I love its simplicity and style. Each illustration is a beauty, and it illustrates too a loving relationship between the mother in the story and the child.The fact this book was originally published so long ago is amazing, as children still enjoy it today.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bed time aid for parents of pre-schoolers!,
By
This review is from: My Go to Bed Book (Board book)
MY GO TO BED BOOK by Ford & Win is a refreshing, timeless classic. The boardbook style is comfortable and durable for pre-schoolers. The art work and colors are soothing, simple, and balanced to hold the child's attention. The author's words rhythmically weave bed time rituals into pleasant sounding rhymes. Children will quickly memorize and "read" back the story to the parents with great delight! The intimate message is that bed time is a meaningful, shared experience between parent and child.
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