#haydensbedtime #blogcampaign #booksontourpr #day2
Hayden’s Bedtime, Wendy Haynes (author), Brett Curzon (illus.), Inprint Publishing, 2019.
Blurb:
Hayden’s Bedtime is a fun bedtime book to help parents get kids to bed and overcome the fear of something lurking in the bedroom. Make bedtime a breeze with this delightful rhyming picture book. Discover with Hayden what’s behind the door, under the bed, inside the cupboard, and in the drawer.
Review:
If you’re like most parents of young children, you’ll understand the challenges in settling them to bed relatively effortlessly and without much apprehension. I know from my two that every conceivable excuse to stay up ‘just a little longer’ is still a regular battle. But children with worries or those with restless bodies and minds require a plan of action, because without that, the bedtime process will be chaotic, and adults’ patience and energy will surely be put to the test!
So, author Wendy Haynes also knows this situation all too well. With her grandson, Hayden, in mind, she has created this cleverly written and playful tale that gives caregivers effective tips for settling children to bed. Aptly, her picture book is gentle, calm, rhythmically soothing, with a touch of whimsy – perfect, given the nature of the topic.
Both Haynes and illustrator, Brett Curzon, shine a light on the loving relationship between Hayden and his Dad. Curzon’s mixture of scattered and half-page illustrations in soft, primary-coloured tones against plain backgrounds highlight the fun and action, warmth and age-appropriateness for young children whose daily routine involves playtime, stories, and settling to bed. There are plenty of giggle-worthy moments as Dad and Hayden get up to all kinds of antics together, including the parts of the day that are NOT meant to be excitable! You can see both author and illustrator have a good sense of humour with their night time ‘check for monsters’-type game (I love the undergarment on Dad’s head following his visit inside the cupboard!). Other aspects that makes this book fun for readers are the comical randomness of objects found around the bedroom, and the suggestion that they can play along by guessing (predicting) and trying the prepositional game with their own belongings, too. From a literacy point of view, the rhyme flows for an engaging read aloud experience, with each rhyming word printed in bold, uppercase font, as well as some colour coding for easy identification.
At the end of the day, Hayden’s Bedtime is a success. He is fast asleep, and we are on cloud nine for having been involved in this delightful reading experience. Sweet, loveable and dearly enchanting, preschool-aged children will adore making new discoveries with this book each and every night.
Review by Romi Sharp.
*Hayden’s Bedtime is listed on the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge booklist! Find out more by clicking on the image below…
#haydensbedtime #family #courage #bedtimeroutine #storiesforbed
Play to WIN! It’s the Hayden’s Bedtime #BookGiveaway!
Tell us ONE object that Dad has found behind the door! Watch the slideshow and fill in the entry form in the image link below…
Play along with Hayden’s Bedtime and its author, Wendy Haynes at these media sources…
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