Customer Reviews

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

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My youngest son has suffered from severe asthma ever since he was an infant and he's almost 20 years old now. Some of my most painful memories are of watching him struggle with the torture of this disease when he was very small, and feeling the awful helplessness a parent feels when they have done all they can and still the suffering continues. When my son was at his sickest we would snuggle close and I would rub his back and quietly sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" to him in a slow, soothing voice. Sometimes I would need to sing it for a long while before he could finally relax enough to fall asleep. I had to learn all the verses besides the familiar one and I had to make up several additional ones, too! As he grew older I continued to sing it when things were bad. When he was sad or in pain or facing a tough time, he would cuddle up and ask for a back rub and "Twinkle Twinkle." I think he was 18 the last time I sang it and he was suffering heartbreak rather than asthma. Well, to get to the point, this book does complete justice to the special song that has meant so much in our lives. It has all of the verses and they are very beautiful. Sylvia Long's lovely illustrations show little animal children dressed in cute clothes like sweaters and blue jeans as they sit together on a country hill gazing up at the diamonds in the sky. Then we see each of the children go to their own homes where their loving parents cuddle them off to bed. They have such cute and colorful jammies on. The love between a parent and child shines throughout this little charmer just like a twinkling star. I love it!

As a parent, this is one of the books I find I actually enjoy reading to my kids over and over again. The verse is soothing and a nice way to wind down before bed time. The illustrations are beautiful and interesting. They are full of details and patterns that hold your attention on each page. They tell a story of their own. My two-year-old daughter loves seeing all the bedtime rituals the animals pictured in the book are doing with their families in all their own homes. I think this book made her enjoy singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" a little bit more.

Sylvia Long seems to find a way to make every drawing on every page have hidden detail. My two and half year old kids love to sing "Twinkle Twinkle" but this little book makes it every more special. They like the sub-story of the fox lighting the lamp posts and the animal-children going home, eating dinner, and getting ready for bed. Most of all, they notice the detail in the animals' PJs or dinner plates and want to talk about that just as much as read the rhyme.

As always, a fabulous book from Ms. Long.