When Mermaids Sleep

by Ann Bonwill

   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.

Genres: Picture Books, Fantasy, Poetry, Childrens, Mermaids, Fiction, Dragons

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Leila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This came across my desk at work because one of our patrons had ordered it set aside for her child. The reader-at-large opinion is that it is a four-star book. I wish I could give it 10. This is a lovely, lushly illustrated visual fantasy, with many details in its pictures for your child to explore. For the parent who is sick unto gagging with reading "Goodnight Moon" (and there is nothing wrong with "Goodnight Moon", but it's difficult not to go sing-song in reading it to your child for the fortieth time), this beautiful 'night-'night story is a possible substitute. If, of course, your little one isn't hopelessly wedged into that phase of childhood where everything HAS to be exactly the same, every night, every reading.

And if she or he is, remember: this, too, shall pass.

[Lauri Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful, rhyming, woozy night time book visiting mythical (or historical) creatures in slumber. Each spread is connected to the previous- the unicorn's pillow of leaves turn into a blanket of leaves for the giant...the goblins sleep in the giants shoes...
I would have loved this as a child, even though the pictures are a little scary (and probably partially because.)

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic plot: Night-time with various mythical creatures.

The book basically tracked a path across a magical world as all of the different types of creatures bed down for the night. There are some good words in this book, making this a good way to introduce some vocabulary to the little ones. The art is whimsical and well done. Overall, this makes a very good bedtime story.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

That's a sweet bedtime poem to read to a child at night--especially a child who like fantasy and fairy tale creatures. The illustrations are perfect for a bedtime book. It may not compete well against other poetry books among the Beehive nominees--but its short and sweet. Which I love!

[Mely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite a 4-star for me. More like 3.5 stars. Love the fact that this is a book that pretty much includes every fantasy creature out there (mermaids, fairies, Wizards, unicorns, etc.). And on top of all that, it's a great bedtime story book. However, my only problem with this book is it reads very poetically, so the sentence structure is a little hard for my toddler to understand.

[Mary Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art and rhyme both Awesome!

Perfect for saying a sweet goodnight to a child. The critic who complained the rhyme was forced is, in my opinion, mistaken. Read aloud... it is charming!

[Jennifer Prater · Rating 4 out of 5]

sweet poetic bedtime story

This was a sweet rhyming bedtime story. With mermaids, pirates and trolls it’s perfect for all creature lovers. The illustrations were wonderfully detailed.

[Whole And · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning and imaginative, a beautiful enchanted bedtime mermaid book.

[Tiffiny · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter didn't care much for this one but I really liked it.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent bedtime book with amazing artwork. I love this one!

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea of this, but it fell a little flat for me.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the artwork in this book to be quite spectacular and incredibly detailed. Pretty much covered all the fantastical creatures I could think of. Poetry was pretty solid.

[Nanny B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rhyming story with beautiful illustrations of mythical creatures.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is gorgeous, and the rhyming text is simple and sweet.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My five-year-old son picked out this book from our local library this week. It was because of the dragon on the cover.

The first stanza of this poem-story is brilliant. It is perfect. It lilt and lulls. A few of the other stanzas were very good, and some just didn't quite work. That was a bit disappointing.

What wasn't disappointing was the artwork. So very lush and lavish. And layered. I fell in love with the baby unicorn -- I want one.


Actual rating: 3.5 for the text, 4.5 for the illustrations.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little bedtime story perfect for young fans of fairy tales and magical creatures. From mermaids sleeping on their reefs to sighing giants and tired unicorns, Ann Bonwin's rhyming verses take readers on a journey to visit all sorts of magical creatures before finally saying, "goodnight" themselves. The collage-style illustrations are especially beautiful and young readers will enjoy the details of each two-page spread. Great for sharing with kids ages 3 and up.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 3 1/2 stars (hint hint Goodreads...I need half choices) It is great but not quite a 4. (4 is really good for me) At first I wasn't thrilled about the cover and wasn't sure about a mermaid book, but it really isn't about mermaids at all! It is a good night bed time book about all mythical creatures going to sleep. From Genies to Giants, Fairies to Dwarves, it is a cute book and the pictures are great!

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dreamy good book about mermaids and other mythical creatures. Rhyming text lulls readers to sleep with the help of mixed media artwork.

The artwork is amaaaaazing and the texture and colors combine to create a land of enchantment any dreamer would be lucky to visit. Great read aloud for PreK-2.

[Suzanne Steward · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. The illustrations are stunning and the book features a magical lullaby as the author talks about how mermaids, pirates, genies, giants, goblins, sea serpents, and fairies sleep. A good story time book for toddlers and preschoolers. This would also make an excellent bedtime story.

[Andrea Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book--it is a unique story, depicting various mythical characters falling asleep. Each picture connects to the next, and they are highly detailed with some really interesting texture in the pictures.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, soft illustrations and simple, quiet rhymes accompany this exploration of different mythological creatures. Great book for night-time and for kids who like mermaids, genies, giants, etc. (Who doesnt'?)

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third book used for my storytelling session today. Not a story, but I really liked the rhyming sequences. Plus the kids loved the various fantasy characters! It was really apt for the last page to say "It's time to say... Good night."

[Lizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool use of prescriptive and texture in the illustrations.

[Aine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute rhyming kids book with gorgeous art.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read at an ocean-themed story time during a daycare visit on 6/26/13: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

[Harold Underdown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five stars for the illustrations, which are striking! The text is effective and well thought-out, but not ground-breaking. Of course, it doesn't need to be.

[Magila · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Becky Cranick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up at the library for my kids; and I just fell in love with it. The pictures are beautiful and whimsical. The writing is such that brings the reader into the magic. A wonderful read.

[Mercy · Rating 3 out of 5]

mermaids, unicorns, wizards, pirates all go to sleep

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. The beautiful illustrations made me round up on this one. Nice poetry about mythical creatures sleeping.