Day 221: Sleep Like a Tiger

My son likes to tell me that he never sleeps (and sometimes, it certainly feels as though he's right.)  Even if he sees a picture of himself sleeping, he says, "I wasn't really sleeping.  I was just pretending."  He also routinely claims that he is going to stop the earth from spinning so that it will always be daytime.  If only our children could look forward to and appreciate bedtime as much as we do, right?!  When I saw this book at a local bookstore a few months back, I just knew I had to bring it home to my little sleep-averse guy.

Sleep Like a Tiger is a beautiful story that is perfect for snuggling up and reading at bedtime.  When a little girl tries to convince her parents that she is not at all tired and doesn't want to go to bed, a sweet, clever conversation ensues between them.  "Does everything in the world go to sleep?" the little girl asks?  "Yes," her parents told her.  "Our dog is sleeping right now, curled up in a ball on the couch where he's not supposed to be.  And the cat is fast asleep, stretched out in front of the fireplace, the warmest spot in the house."  The girl proceeds to inquire about all kinds of other creatures -- bats, whales, snails, bears -- and whether or not they sleep, too.  Finally, she mentions an animal who sleeps a lot -- the tiger -- and the way he stays strong by finding shade and resting in the jungle when he's not off hunting.  I love the parents' calm, patient manner as they subtly bring their daughter closer to sleep, and author Mary Logue's language throughout is wonderfully vivid and descriptive.  In the end, of course, the little girl drifts off to dreamland, in a delightfully woven sequence of rituals that mimic the very creatures she has just discussed.

The artwork in the story is gorgeous and is what drew me to the book in the first place.  Pamela Zagarenski's illustrations are simply delightful; peaceful and fanciful at the same time.  There are several wonderful literary allusions in the story, as well, and plenty of small details within her artwork that I just love.  I will say, though, that there is something about the illustrations that doesn't really appeal to my 3 year old daughter.  Perhaps they are a bit too abstract for her liking.  My son seems to like them well enough, though even he is not nearly as impressed by the illustrations as I am.  Sometimes art is just like that, I suppose.  Regardless, Sleep Like a Tiger is a wonderful story that is one of my favorite new finds this year, and I'm thrilled to have added it to our home library.