Meg McKinlay (text) and Karen Blair (illustrator), How to Make a Bedtime, Walker Books Australia, October 2024, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760653712
There’s something special about the ritual of getting little ones ready for bed. Often done by parents who don’t recognise sleep anymore, there is comfort to be found in the beautiful bonding time just before the house becomes quiet.
Meg McKinlay captures this perfectly from the little yawns, the fun bath time with more water on the floor than in the bath, snuggly pyjamas and cuddles, all leading to the main event before sleep – the bedtime story.
Though you’re feeling so snuggily slumbery snory, we can’t call this bedtime until there’s… a story!
This is a perfectly charming read to wind young children down for bed. The rhyming text is soothing, creating a tempo that is calming. Readers will be gently lulled by Karen Blair’s soft, fuzzy illustrations—warm and cozy, like the glow of a reading lamp. Perhaps you won’t even notice that the affection displayed is between a little boy and a bear in blue striped pyjamas—just a perfectly ordinary evening in a home where a loved one gently puts a child to bed. This is Karen’s gift. Her love of animals shines through in the creation of a carefully crafted character that embodies the essence of love, giving it a human face.
How to Make a Bedtime is a special read, and sure to become a bedtime ritual classic. It’s the ultimate bear hug.
When the sun’s light is fading and night’s on the rise, it’s time to start yawning your sleepy goodbyes.
Reviewed by Shelley Stephens
