The Goodnight Book: For Moms and Little Ones

This book is subtitled, "For Moms and Little Ones," but grandparents and grandchildren are a natural audience for its old-fashioned charms. United around a theme of nightime and sleep, the stories and poems portray a comforting, peaceful world. In case the reading doesn't do the trick, there are also relaxation exercises and recipes for comfort foods. In short, this little volume contains everything you need to insure sweet sleep for grandchildren. And when the grandkids are sleeping, you may be sure that Grandma and Grandpa will be sleeping, too!

The most challenging time of the day for many parents is bedtime. Grandparents, who really need their sleep, may feel downright desperate when grandchildren sleeping over resist going to bed. The ritual of bedtime reading is one solution, but what to read? The Goodnight Book is a perfect solution. Its classic reading material is suitable for all ages, and the supplementary material is geared toward creating the calm atmosphere that is conducive to a trouble-free bedtime.

Here's a small sample of the contents:

• An excerpt from Peter Pan
• "Rip Van Winkle"
• "Wynken, Blynken and Nod" by Eugene Field
• Directions for making a dreamcatcher
• "Goodnight" by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
• "Afraid of the Dark" by Shel Silverstein
• Recipes for "Soothing Snacks"

The editors have provided an especially nice, ecumenical selection of prayers. I was pleased to see that they used a different version of the prayer which used to give me nightmares:

"Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray Thee, Lord, thy child to keep:
Thy love guard me through the night
And wake me with the morning light."

My new favorite is this Navajo prayer:

"May it be delightful my house;
From my head may it be delightful;
To my feet may it be delightful;
Where I lie may it be delightful;
All around me may it be delightful."

With around 60 selections to choose from, you and your grandchildren will soon find their own favorites.

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.