Day 26: Time For Bed

I had never heard of Mem Fox until my friend Julie recommended this book, and apparently I've been missing out!  We found Time for Bed at our library in a lap-sized board book edition, which is perfect for reading to my two little ones at once.  It's a soothing, adorable, lullabye-of-a-story that is perfect for reading just before turning out the lights.  On each beautifully illustrated page, a different animal is getting its own little one ready for bed:  "It's time for bed, little sheep, little sheep.  The whole wide world is going to sleep."  The soft watercolor illustrations do a wonderful job of depicting the love animal parents feel for their babies, and I also love how it features animals we don't necessarily think of as sleeping (like fish, snakes, and bees.)  My son loves reciting the book along with me, and the rhythmic, gentle verses can't help but make you feel a little sleepy.  (Of course, reading stories makes me sleepy at just about any time of day!)  Although my 8-month old daughter would rather chew on the pages when we read it together at the moment, I have no doubt she will soon love reading this lovely book, too.