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A Book of Sleep
When the sky grows dark
and the moon glows bright,
everyone goes to sleep . . .
except for the watchful owl!
With a spare, soothing text and beautifully rich and textured illustrations of a starry night, this is the perfect “book of sleep.” Join the owl on his moonlit journey as he watches all the other animals settle in for the some sleep standing up, while some sleep on the move! Some sleep peacefully alone, while others sleep all together, huddled close.
Il Sung Na makes his American debut with this gorgeous bedtime offering. While each animal rests in its own special way, little ones will also drift off to a cozy sleep.
and the moon glows bright,
everyone goes to sleep . . .
except for the watchful owl!
With a spare, soothing text and beautifully rich and textured illustrations of a starry night, this is the perfect “book of sleep.” Join the owl on his moonlit journey as he watches all the other animals settle in for the some sleep standing up, while some sleep on the move! Some sleep peacefully alone, while others sleep all together, huddled close.
Il Sung Na makes his American debut with this gorgeous bedtime offering. While each animal rests in its own special way, little ones will also drift off to a cozy sleep.
24 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
15 people are currently reading
1485 people want to read
About the author
Il Sung Na
19 books97 followersBorn in Seoul, South Korea, Il Sung Na studied illustration at Kingston University in London. He currently lives in Kansas City, Missouri, in the USA.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 279 reviews
February 26, 2012
When I read this to my son/daughter, I like to make the sounds of the different animals. I also point out where the little owl is hidden on every page. S/he is still in utero, but I nevertheless feel like this is a worthwhile activity.
LOOK IT IS BEING CUDDLED BY THE TWO PENGUINS!
THERE IT IS FLYING OVER THE WHALE IN THE OCEAN!
NOW IT IS ON A WIRE WITH THOSE OTHER BIRDS*!
The art is simultaneously classic and modern and I'm pretty sure no child will appreciate it on as many levels as I do.
(*which kinda look like penises, just saying.)
LOOK IT IS BEING CUDDLED BY THE TWO PENGUINS!
THERE IT IS FLYING OVER THE WHALE IN THE OCEAN!
NOW IT IS ON A WIRE WITH THOSE OTHER BIRDS*!
The art is simultaneously classic and modern and I'm pretty sure no child will appreciate it on as many levels as I do.
(*which kinda look like penises, just saying.)
January 10, 2010
The illustrations in this book really captivated me--they are so unusual and beautiful! The story itself is a very simple one about all the different ways animals sleep--and how the owl finally falls asleep while everyone else wakes up ;-) Still, it's so beautifully told through the illustrations and a few well-chosen words that this is a true gem of a bedtime and animal story.
August 23, 2017
Check out more picture book reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...
Owl doesn't get to sleep like the other animals do when night falls. Instead he zooms around and checks on everyone's odd sleeping habits. Finally when everyone else is waking up lonely owl is going to sleep.
Oh my gosh this book! I picked it up because of the cover art and I've read some other Asian author picture books and they were excellent so I HAD to check this one out too...
AND IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!! THE ART , oh the art!! So beautiful and quirky... EVERY SINGLE SPREAD WAS GORGEOUS!! Every single one! This was a creation of love by the author illustrator. Truly. I loved the rich details woven into each animal's pelt/skin... fanciful yet depthful... and no boring backgrounds here, no siree! Little chalk like doodles decorate the pages. I am totally in love!!
The text is delightful! Not too hard nor too easy, we learn facts about how different animals sleep... pigeons with one eye open and elephants make lots of noise!
Plus there is this subtle lesson at the end that if you stay up all night then you will sleep while everyone else is awake. For a child who wouldn't get to see his or her favorite people this may be wonderful incentive for them to go to bed.
My nephew had trouble picking which spread to drawn but finally settled on the horses who sleep standing up! We giggled as we read through it, it was fun and I think with repeat exposure would help him understand about sleep. We talked about it some and he knows he needs to sleep to grow but there are other benefits to be taught!! And this is a fun way to do it! I HIGHLY SUGGEST FOR ANY HOME LIBRARY... and I plan to look up more Il Sung Na!
BOTTOM LINE: The perfect, let's go to sleep book!
______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my picture book reviews in a special feature called Boo's Picture Gallery...
Owl doesn't get to sleep like the other animals do when night falls. Instead he zooms around and checks on everyone's odd sleeping habits. Finally when everyone else is waking up lonely owl is going to sleep.
Oh my gosh this book! I picked it up because of the cover art and I've read some other Asian author picture books and they were excellent so I HAD to check this one out too...
AND IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!! THE ART , oh the art!! So beautiful and quirky... EVERY SINGLE SPREAD WAS GORGEOUS!! Every single one! This was a creation of love by the author illustrator. Truly. I loved the rich details woven into each animal's pelt/skin... fanciful yet depthful... and no boring backgrounds here, no siree! Little chalk like doodles decorate the pages. I am totally in love!!
The text is delightful! Not too hard nor too easy, we learn facts about how different animals sleep... pigeons with one eye open and elephants make lots of noise!
Plus there is this subtle lesson at the end that if you stay up all night then you will sleep while everyone else is awake. For a child who wouldn't get to see his or her favorite people this may be wonderful incentive for them to go to bed.
My nephew had trouble picking which spread to drawn but finally settled on the horses who sleep standing up! We giggled as we read through it, it was fun and I think with repeat exposure would help him understand about sleep. We talked about it some and he knows he needs to sleep to grow but there are other benefits to be taught!! And this is a fun way to do it! I HIGHLY SUGGEST FOR ANY HOME LIBRARY... and I plan to look up more Il Sung Na!
BOTTOM LINE: The perfect, let's go to sleep book!
______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my picture book reviews in a special feature called Boo's Picture Gallery...
January 24, 2020
Originally published in Britain as Zzzzz: A Book of Sleep, this lovely bedtime tale from Il Sung Na follows a "watchful owl" as he observes the many different ways in which his fellow creatures like to sleep. From cuddling koalas to snoring elephants, one-eyed birds to wide-eyed fish, everyone has their own unique way of resting - including the owl himself!
I was lucky enough to come across a review copy of A Book of Sleep, which is due out in the US this September, and being struck by the cover art - which reminded me of the work of Chinese-Australian artist Shaun Tan - I immediately pounced. How glad I am that I did, as I have discovered another talented picture-book artist to keep an eye on! The narrative here is simple and effective, with a repetitive motif that will help lull bedtime listeners, but it is the artwork which makes this picture-book extraordinary! Using a combination of hand-painted and digitally generated materials, Il Sung Na creates a sense of depth and mystery in his pictures, with lovely little flourishes here and there. My favorite spread shows owl and fish gazing at one another, in wide-eyed astonishment.
Well worth the time of any picture-book aficionados out there, this gorgeous book is the first offering from this author/illustrator. I look forward to following his work in the future.
I was lucky enough to come across a review copy of A Book of Sleep, which is due out in the US this September, and being struck by the cover art - which reminded me of the work of Chinese-Australian artist Shaun Tan - I immediately pounced. How glad I am that I did, as I have discovered another talented picture-book artist to keep an eye on! The narrative here is simple and effective, with a repetitive motif that will help lull bedtime listeners, but it is the artwork which makes this picture-book extraordinary! Using a combination of hand-painted and digitally generated materials, Il Sung Na creates a sense of depth and mystery in his pictures, with lovely little flourishes here and there. My favorite spread shows owl and fish gazing at one another, in wide-eyed astonishment.
Well worth the time of any picture-book aficionados out there, this gorgeous book is the first offering from this author/illustrator. I look forward to following his work in the future.
October 31, 2012
This is a stunning book, one that appeals to my artistic side (the side that loves art, even if I'm hopeless at it myself). Il Sung Na is an illustrator like no other, and the story is very sweet too. The kids really like this one, with all the different animals, and as they get older there are finer details to notice.
The text is very simple but the illustrations are deceptively simple and utterly gorgeous - I would love to get them as posters.
They speak for themselves, I think. :)
The text is very simple but the illustrations are deceptively simple and utterly gorgeous - I would love to get them as posters.
They speak for themselves, I think. :)
January 30, 2010
The art from cover to cover is unusual and absolutely stunning. Interestingly, much of it was done with the help of digital computer technology; and I will search out more books by this talented picture book artist. This is a gorgeous book.
The story is a perfect and reassuring bedtime story for very young children, as it goes from animal to animal talking about the ways they sleep, and then talking about them all waking up "when the sky turns blue and the sun glows bright” – except for the owl, who sleeps and wakes in reverse, and provides some subtle humor to this simple narrative.
This book would make an excellent baby shower gift or gift for a young child. It needs to be protected by the older people though because it is not a board or cloth book and is too beautiful to get marred or ruined.
The story is a perfect and reassuring bedtime story for very young children, as it goes from animal to animal talking about the ways they sleep, and then talking about them all waking up "when the sky turns blue and the sun glows bright” – except for the owl, who sleeps and wakes in reverse, and provides some subtle humor to this simple narrative.
This book would make an excellent baby shower gift or gift for a young child. It needs to be protected by the older people though because it is not a board or cloth book and is too beautiful to get marred or ruined.
May 27, 2011
I love Na’s surreal, almost-psychedelic illustration style, and I’m nothing if not sincerely dedicated to sleep.
March 21, 2011
3.5 stars
This book follows and owl (happily you can look for it on nearly every page!) who stays up at night, and travels by various other animals who sleep at night.
I'm sure children who are curious about animals, and children who might be afraid to sleep (or of the dark) will enjoy this simple and sweet tale.
The illustrations are interesting and unique and overall I did like this a lot!
This book follows and owl (happily you can look for it on nearly every page!) who stays up at night, and travels by various other animals who sleep at night.
I'm sure children who are curious about animals, and children who might be afraid to sleep (or of the dark) will enjoy this simple and sweet tale.
The illustrations are interesting and unique and overall I did like this a lot!
May 20, 2017
A fine book to teach how different animals sleep differently, like some keep both their eyes shut, while some only has one eye closed & oneopened.. And there are those as well which have both their eyes open. They don't even blink. They don't have eyelids at all.
This is the video of the book https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOd7M...
This is the video of the book https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOd7M...
May 21, 2018
It’s a nice book that has somehow failed to make much of an impression on either my 2yo or myself.
January 7, 2019
Super cuuuuteeee!!!
Ketemu di pojokan swalayan di bilangan Jakarta Selatan. Langsung ambil tanpa pikir-pikir lagi.
Manis banget.
Uh.
M-A-N-I-S.
Ceritanya tentang kebiasaan tidur masing-masing hewan. Manis sekali.
Kepengen bisa bikin buku macam ini.
Bisa ketemu buku semanis ini kayak ketemu jodoh saja! Tidak dapat diduga! Jatuh cinta pada pandangan pertama!
Ketemu di pojokan swalayan di bilangan Jakarta Selatan. Langsung ambil tanpa pikir-pikir lagi.
Manis banget.
Uh.
M-A-N-I-S.
Ceritanya tentang kebiasaan tidur masing-masing hewan. Manis sekali.
Kepengen bisa bikin buku macam ini.
Bisa ketemu buku semanis ini kayak ketemu jodoh saja! Tidak dapat diduga! Jatuh cinta pada pandangan pertama!
December 19, 2016
Read at Baby/Toddler Story Time on 6/26/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
Read at Toddler Lap Time on 10/25/12 and 10/26/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
Read at Toddler Lap Time on 10/25/12 and 10/26/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
June 24, 2011
Wow. I would like to commission Il Sung Na to design my wallpaper. The illustrations in this book are exquisitely rendered and the story is short and sweet--perfect for bedtime.
December 28, 2015
Reading this every night at bedtime, I still find it sweet, and it's short enough to not get boring.
March 17, 2017
I read this book to a few different groups of kids. It's all about sleeping animals.
August 16, 2021
Perfect bedtime book for a very small child.
March 4, 2011
Featured at An Abundance of Books
This is the book just begs for you to cuddle up with your child and whisper the story quietly while looking at all of the sleeping animals and trying and find the Owl in every illustration. I've added this and a few other Il Sung Na books to my son's book wish list for the grandparents. This is a lovely book and one you definitely need to try out, I give it 5 stars.
Read full review HERE
This is the book just begs for you to cuddle up with your child and whisper the story quietly while looking at all of the sleeping animals and trying and find the Owl in every illustration. I've added this and a few other Il Sung Na books to my son's book wish list for the grandparents. This is a lovely book and one you definitely need to try out, I give it 5 stars.
Read full review HERE
October 21, 2014
A simple story about a owl keeping watch under a moon and how other animals sleep. A mother grabbed it right after storytime to check out. 12/16/11
This was quite popular at story time and grabbed a lot of children that were hanging around from Lap Time.
This was quite popular at story time and grabbed a lot of children that were hanging around from Lap Time.
April 20, 2014
Now this book was great. My four year old niece and I loved the illustrations. She could identify every animal. And wanted to know why the owl slept at night and the rest did not. Kept entertained and seeking knowledge. Win, win, win!!
May 8, 2015
My daughter loved the style of the artwork and wanted to take her time to explore each page to try to puzzle out the details. The story is soothing and perfect bedtime reading - up until we wake everyone up in bright daytime and let the poor owl go to sleep.
October 26, 2010
AMAZING illustrations. I see Caldecott level quality.
February 9, 2012
Beautiful art! My favorite page is the pigeons with one eye open.
June 11, 2012
Simple book about animal sleep patterns. Would work really well for our summer library theme which has to do with things at night!
July 5, 2016
Another book with beautiful unique illustrations. Alistair wasn't interested in this one at this point (20 months) but we'll revisit this later. A good bedtime book.
November 13, 2017
Who wants to tell the author that koalas are nocturnal?
December 3, 2021
At night Owl is awake which means he can see how other animals sleep. During the day Owl sleeps. This is a good book to show readers what Owl sees, so they can learn animals' sleeping habits. Nicely illustrated, my only criticism being that in almost the whole book the owl - known for big round eyes - has eyes shaped more like a cat's.
October 6, 2023
Wie schön ist diese Buch bitte ?!?
Einfach Wunderschön! Ein paar simple Sätze, und wunderschöne gezeichnete Seiten.
Ein Einschlafbuch das gleichzeitig ein Kunstwerk ist.
Ein toller Brockenstubenfund☺️
Einfach Wunderschön! Ein paar simple Sätze, und wunderschöne gezeichnete Seiten.
Ein Einschlafbuch das gleichzeitig ein Kunstwerk ist.
Ein toller Brockenstubenfund☺️
September 11, 2021
The newest book the 10 month old in my daycare is obsessed with. She stares at the pages so intently I love it
March 31, 2021
Lovely lovely. For a while Rowan really wasn't interested in this one at all--weird really since it has so many things he likes (a moon, fishes, an owl, eyeballs, birds). But he's back into it now, and that's really nice because it's a very cute little book.
September 1, 2019
I wasn’t very impressed by this book. The text is ok, and I don’t like the art style.
That being said my baby loves it. He loves the owls, the likes the pictures. This is often his choice for bed time.
That being said my baby loves it. He loves the owls, the likes the pictures. This is often his choice for bed time.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 279 reviews