When Mermaids Sleep - Hardcover

Bonwill, Ann

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 037587061X ISBN 13: 9780375870613

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2013

Synopsis

   In this beautifully lyrical bedtime picture book, young readers will be whisked to a land where mermaids sleep and pirates snore; where fairies slumber on flower petals and a giant's sleepy sighs make the valleys rumble. Featuring dream-like illustrations by Society of Illustrators Gold Medal recipients Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, When Mermaids Sleep is an ideal addition to the bedtime canon.

About this title

About the Author:

ANN BONWILL is the author of Bug and Bear, Naughty Toes, Pocket's Christmas Wish, and I Don't Want to Be a Pea. She lives in Virginia with her husband, their young son, and a crazy Welsh corgi dog named Arthur.

STEVE JOHNSON and LOU FANCHER, a husband-and-wife team, are the illustrators of over 30 books, including: Jim Henson: The Guy Who Played with Puppets by Kathleen Krull; The Boy on Fairfield Street, also by Kathleen Krull; My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss; New York's Bravest by Mary Pope Osborne; and Amazing Peace by Maya Angelou. Their book with Louis Duncan, I Walk at Night, was a New York Times Best Illustrated Book. They are also the recipients of a Society of Illustrators Gold Medal.

From School Library Journal:

K-Gr 2-Mermaids are sleeping in coral caves and, in that same water, pirates are snoring in their ship. In the trunks below deck, genies dream on sand in their lamps; that sand was also used to build sand castles where sea serpents sleep. The magical world is at rest: unicorns, giants, goblins, and dwarves. Readers discover that under the same moon where fairies are slumbering is a dreaming child. In this bedtime story, it is the illustrations that shine. The palette, while muted, is still lush and full. Collage is used to great effect to create texture; readers will be tempted to run their hands over the pages, hoping to feel the mountains and trees themselves. The full-bleed artwork spreads over two pages; one can almost imagine that the world extends past the confines of the layout. The dreamlike fantasy world is captured expertly. Unfortunately, the text is not as successful; the rhyming pattern is singsongy and the lines are often forced. They combine to make a challenging read-aloud; it is easy to trip over the words and the story becomes muddled and confusing. With stunning artwork like this, it is a shame that the text isn't stronger.-Laura Lutz, Pratt Institute, New York Cityα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 037587061X
• ISBN 13: 9780375870613
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32