Let's Go to Sleep: A Story with Five Steps to Help Ease Your Child to Sleep

by Maisie Reade, Laura Huliska-Beith (Visual Art), James B. Maas (Contributor)

These days, even a preschooler's bedtime can be rushed and tense after a busy day of classes, playdates, and increasing screen time. "Winding down" has become more difficult for everyone in the family. Read Me to Sleep stories are designed to soothe the child and the adult, with calming text and prompts that effortlessly encourage both reader and listener to breathe deep and dream. The first story, Let's Go to Sleep , is a journey through magical Forest of Dreams, where Mama Bird leads a drowsy crew of animal friends on the gentle journey to sleep.

Each Read Me to Sleep story features opportunities to personalize the text for deeper meaning and optimal comfort, cues to help readers slow down and use their voices more effectively for bedtime, and deep breathing embedded in the narrative to maximize relaxation for both adult and child.

Genres: Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

Published April 19, 2016

Reviews

[RJ McGill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listen as Mama Bird leads little animal friends on the journey to dreamland.

Bedtime can be a tension-filled, scary time for children and parents alike. Meltdowns, crying, clinging, the monster under the bed, just to name a few. The search is never ending for how to manage bedtime. Let's Go To Sleep by Maisie Reade has been one of the most effective tools I've personally used with my granddaughter. The soft, calming text was designed to encourage relaxation and deep breathing.

The audio edition of Let's Go To Sleep was the perfect addition to our established bedtime routine. Now we read the book of her choice and press play. The first couple of nights she made it through the entire CD. Curiosity more than anything kept her awake. After that, she's sound asleep in less than ten minutes. A few nights, Nana has fallen asleep right there with her. The hardcover edition has color-coded words with instructions for each. (example: speak in a whisper or use an elongated vowel sound) With the audio, this is done for you.

I love "Let's Go To Sleep." It definitely gets two thumbs up from my granddaughter. We now have the hardcover and audio editions. She wanted the book to put her "animal friends" to sleep. During playtime, she gathers her buddies and I read the book, and off to sleep, they go.

I would recommend this to anyone who has a little one overnight. (Even occasionally.)

Happy Listening!

RJ

[Nise' · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mama Bird is helping the sleepy forest friends go to sleep. Certain words are rhymed, whispered and/or drawn out to help calm and relax. Deep breaths are encouraged along with yawns. My grandson is a bit too young (age 2) to follow along with the prompts, but he did like listening to Robert Petkoff narrate the story. Tavia Gilbert also narrates the same story so you can choose between narrators. I would say Cole preferred Robert's narration as it kept him still and listening. Since we listened I can't speak to the illustrations. I will use this audio again when the grand kids sleep over!

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand the concept of trying to get your child to sleep, but this book is too long and has too much text on each page.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is VERY long. much longer than I like to read at bedtime. I like that the words are multicolored to help you remember to whisper and breathe and things.