Written by Nadia Salomon & illustrated by Poonam Mistry
This was a Diwali gift and the first thing I noticed are the amazing illustrations by Poonam Mistry. Every single page is decorated with beautiful and very detailed drawings.
The book describes the bedtime routine of two children, a girl (the narrator) and her brother Vikram. They are visiting their grandparents in India. The children use Telugu words for their grandparents so it could be set in South-East India but there are Telugu speakers living all around the world.
Nadia Salomon has written the story in poem form. Each double page has a verse and a chorus describing something the children see or do before they go to sleep: the picture of Ganesh, flowers and statues in their grandmother’s room, the view from the window, playing tag with their grandfather, listening to stories and saying prayers.
This is a lovely story about one family’s bedtime ritual and about children enjoying time with their grandparents. Most children like to take as long as possible to get ready for bed and use very excuse to stay up for a few more minutes. The children and their grandparents in this book have turned it into a game. We all have our own different ways of getting ready for bed but most families have some similar patterns, like brushing teeth, listening to stories and goodnight hugs.
I would recommend this book as a part of a bedtime routine. Children will enjoy listening to the rhythm of the words and looking at the amazing pictures and you could join in by making up your own chorus of people or things to say goodnight to.
My score: 5/5
The Library Mouse Tales 