Published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers on September 15, 2020
Genres: Children's
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How would a clock, nightlight, or teddy bear say good night? In this enchanting poetry collection, Lee Bennett Hopkins and thirteen other poets imagine the wishes whispering through a young girl’s bedroom as she falls asleep. The bookshelf’s stories curl through her head; the pillow transforms into a hot air balloon; the rocking horse waits expectantly for tomorrow’s adventures. Stunning gouache illustrations by Jen Corace offer new details to discover with every reading.
Perfect for bedtime reading and re-reading, Night Wishes will transport young readers into a wonderful, whimsical world of dreams.
Includes poems by…
Rebecca Kai DotlichMatt Forrest EsenwineJude MandellPrince RedcloudAlice SchertleJoyce SidmanEileen SpinelliIrene LathamLee Bennett HopkinsNikki GrimesDeborah RuddellDarren SardelliRenee LaTulippe
As the parent of two young children (ages 3 and 1), I read a lot of children’s books. Like. A lot. Sometimes the same book over and over and over twelve times a day. Who would’ve guessed that my children would love books? And as a reader of many children’s books, I’ve noticed something: they all blend together somewhat. After your hundredth children’s book, you start to notice the popular themes, imagery, style, etc. They can be really good books, but there’s little originality anymore, particularly in Christian publishing. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers has continually proved themselves to be the outlier and that streak continues with Night Wishes.
Night Wishes is a collection of poetry, simple one-page poems that are perfect for bedtime. For slightly older children who can read on their own, this collection would be a great introduction to the concept of poetry and its lyrical way of thinking about the world. There are fourteen poems, each of them focusing on some element in a young girl’s bedroom.
Pillow
Blanket
Cat
Dog
Book
And so on…
These aren’t your typical sing-songy simplistic children’s poems. These are good poems with structure and meter. Reading them aloud is a treat. Whether you read one a night or take time for all fourteen (!) or somewhere in between, you’ll be sure to leave off on a cute, encouraging note.
The poems are by various authors, but collected by acclaimed children’s poet Lee Bennett Hopkins. Hopkins wrote over a hundred books of children’s poetry and has a poetry award named after him, so you know that the selection is great.
Jen Corace’s illustrations, done in beautiful gouache style, absolutely shine. It gives the off a flat, yet layered look that is simple, yet detailed. (The illustration for Cat is my absolute favorite.) Night Wishes is a unique, whimsical, and fun. An excellent addition to the bedtime rotation!
