The Bedtime Rhyme
—Maurice Sendak
"Wangerin's flight of fancy is full of love, and that is what the listener cannot help but hear."
—Jan Karon
"Any child who gets this read to them will feel safe and protected."
—Janell Cannon, author and illustrator of Stellaluna
"In a series of rhymes, Wangerin (Probity Jones and the Fear Not Angel) dispels a child's fear of the dark by teaching the lessons of God's love and presence. As the rhymes begin, a mother responds to her son's question: "How much do I love you? / Lay down your head, / My gingerbread, / And listen: I'll tell you." She elaborates by telling him that if robbers should come into the room, "I'd clobber those robbers / Until they slobbered / And all their teeth decayed." If her son is threatened by monsters, "I'd grab my reaper, / My vacuum sweeper, / And suck those monsters down!" After she reassures him that she will protect him against all things, the mother then tells her son, "Here in your room / All night while you're sleeping, / Kinder and wiser / And best for safekeeping / Is God." Huang's illustrations capture the wildness of the child's imagination and provide just the right background for Wangerin's humorous rhymes. Ages 5-8."
—Publishers WeeklyProduct Reviews for The Bedtime Rhyme
Using only rhymes, a mother reassures her young child that she will protect him from robbers, falling things, animals, and monsters, and in each case goes on to tell, playfully, how she would do away with the things that frighten her little boy, especially at bedtime. She then says she would write big signs on their home saying, "Hands off my Baby Brown." She tells her son he can always call upon her for help, and then goes on to explain that he can also ask God for protection, and God loves her child even more than, and is even stronger than, the mother. The pictures are delightful, and at the end is a glorious illustration of the hand of God holding the bed with the child sleeping peacefully. |
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Paraclete Press Paraclete Press is a publisher of essential Christian wisdom. It is our mission to publish books, music and videos which remind us, Never lose hope in the mercy of God.” (The Rule of St. Benedict) |
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