How Sleep Found Tabitha

by Decepticons, Sheena Lott (Illustrator)

Overview

It’s bedtime, but sleep will not come to Tabitha. The bed is cozy. The room is dark and quiet. Her favourite things surround her. She should be able to go to sleep, but something is missing. What can it be? As she lies waiting, the animals call to her. Will the whale lull her to sleep? Can the eagle carry her to dreamland? Or the horse? The frog? The rabbit? Nothing seems to work. And then sleep comes, as it often does, from an unexpected place. Recommended reading ages: 4-8 This audio enhanced edition features read aloud narration by the author.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780988072664
Publisher:	Crow Cottage Publishing
Publication date:	07/30/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	33
File size:	30 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Maggie de Vries has been writing books for children and teens for twenty-five years. She co-wrote her first book in 1988 with her aunt and mentor, children’s author, Jean Little, and since then much of her work has related to children and writing. Maggie lives with her husband and their two cats in a townhouse overlooking the Fraser River in Vancouver. One of those cats might just be the offspring of a certain sleepy character in How Sleep Found Tabitha!
Sheena has had very successful 25 year career in art. This busy artist combines gallery exhibitions and children’s book illustration. Her painterly watercolours and oils express her love of the outdoors and coastal lifestyle. She has been an artist in residence in schools as well as a lecturer on cruise ships to ports all over the world. Sheena exhibits at the Winchester Galleries and Art Gallery of Greater Victoria art rental.

Editorial Reviews

Tabitha is having a difficult time falling asleep and calls upon her imagination to help her. A variety of animals beckon her to sleep with them, but she rejects them all, pointing out obvious impossibilities. For example, whale calls from the deep blue sea, but Tabitha realizes that she cannot join him, for she does not have a breathing hole on her back. All of the animals speak in rhyme and Tabitha's responses reveal factual information about them. The reader learns that seals have blubber for warmth, rabbits live underground and horses sleep standing up. Even though there are two child favorites in this text, rhyme and animals, the book fails to truly engage. The rhymes are unimaginative and the facts learned are not enticing. The illustrations are the real treasure of this book. The soothing and lovely watercolors alone are wonderful contributions to a nighttime routine. 2002, Orca Book Publishers,
— Andrea Sears Andrews

Children's Literature

PreS-K-Appealing artwork enhances this simple story of a child who is put to bed but is not ready to fall asleep. Tabitha imagines that seven of her toy animals become real and ask that she settle down for the night with each of them in turn. Through her visualizations of them preparing for sleep, readers are briefly introduced to their habitats and sleep habits. The girl rejects each creature's offer to sleep in its nest, lily pad, burrow, etc., for various reasons, including cold, damp, or hard "beds." It is the family cat, quietly coming to curl up in her bed, that finally enables Tabitha to fall asleep. The predominantly lavender, blue, and green watercolors reveal a little girl's room at bedtime, strewn with her stuffed animals and various articles of clothing. From the first image of Tabitha, with her large, brown eyes looking very much awake, to the last image of her at slumber, the illustrations reveal a self-confident child who understands that comfort is a warm cat, gently purring under the covers.-Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

A young child restlessly awaits the arrival of sleep. Perched in her bed, Tabitha surveys her room and the myriad stuffed animals strewn across every surface. In her imagination, her beloved toys become animate, beseeching her to share sleeping quarters with them. From the murky depths of the whale's seabed to towering heights of an eagle's nest, Tabitha contemplates the resting-places of various animals. They describe their favorite napping spots in playful singsong rhymes. " ‘Come slither to sleep where it's dark and it's deep' whispered the snake." Tabitha eagerly pretends to be a rabbit or seal, etc., envisioning her bed as a burrow, sea-drenched rocks, and more. DeVries balances Tabitha's fanciful musings with pragmatic reality; a burrow is full of dirt, rocks are uncomfortable to sleep on, and so forth. Sleep eventually arrives in the form of a cuddly companion, with Tabitha's gray cat snuggling into bed with the drowsy child. The watercolor illustrations are gracefully executed, artfully capturing both the luminescent beauty of the young child and offering stunning images of the different wildlife. Tabitha's bedroom is a swirl of twilight-colored hues; soothing sapphires blend with brighter periwinkles, creating the dappled shadows from which her ingenious imaginings emerge. An engaging blend of whimsy and thoughtful reflection, this tale convincingly assures sleep-wary tots that their cozy beds are just the spot for them. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews