Close Your Eyes

by Kate Banks, Georg Hallensleben (Illustrator)

A little tiger takes an imaginative journey

The little tiger lay on his back in the tall grass.
"Close your eyes, little tiger," said his mother, "and go to sleep."

But the little tiger is worried about what sleep might bring.
His mother reassures him that once he closes his eyes, he will dream of magical places. And when he awakens, she will be right there, waiting for him.

Alternating between real-life scenes with the baby tiger and his mother and enchanted dream scenes of sleep's possibilities, Kate Banks's simple, comforting text and Georg Hallensleben's bright, colorful illustrations make this a charming bedtime story for small children.

Close Your Eyes is a 2002 New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year and a 2003 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Family, Fiction, Storytime, Cats

40 pages, Hardcover

Published September 24, 2002

About the author

Kate Banks has written many books for children, among them Max’s Words, And If the Moon Could Talk, winner of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and The Night Worker, winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award. She grew up in Maine, where she and her two sisters and brother spent a lot of time outdoors, and where Banks developed an early love of reading. “I especially liked picture books,” she says, “and the way in which words and illustrations could create a whole new world in which sometimes real and other times magical and unexpected things could happen.” Banks attended Wellesley College and received her masters in history at Columbia University. She lived in Rome for eight years but now lives in the South of France with her husband and two sons, Peter Anton and Maximilian.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/katebanks

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet and love the illustrations.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Close Your Eyes, we are presented with the story of a restless young tiger cub that is being coaxed into sleep by his mother. The cub is resistant because he wants to enjoy his wakefulness and not miss a single detail in his surroundings. The mother reassures him that anything that he can do while awake is even more exciting while he is sleeping. This is a story of the many places that imagination and dreams can lead a child to explore. The illustrations are captivating and add to the dream-like sequences that the mother explains to the cub. The illustrator uses brush strokes with soft yet vivid colors and does a great job of bringing the story to life. This book has won numerous awards such as the Buckeye Children’s Book Award (2004), School Library Journal Best Books of the Year (2002) and the New York Times Best Illustrated Books Awards (2002).

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations with this story are fantastic. The story itself is also very sweet. The best line: "Dark is just the other side of light. It's what comes before dreams." Beautiful.

[Casandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable bedtime book!

[Primavera Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Close Your Eyes by Kate Banks was awarded the Buckeye Children’s and Teen Book Award. This book follows a young tiger and his mother while she tried to lure her child to sleep with the promise of dreams. The little tiger fears what will happen to him while he is awake, but his mother reassures her child of the sweet and wonderful world he will endure during his rest. This book is filled with beautifully painted images that capture color and movement. The images captivate that dream-like quality with the delicate brush strokes and soft blend of colors. As a teacher, this book would open the door to the discussions dreams versus reality. In the book, the mother tells her child when he closes his eyes, he can fly with the birds; this is unrealistic considering the fact her child is a tiger. Children can guide the discussion on their dream and what separates them from reality. This unlocks critical thinking and gives students the opportunity to explore their imaginations within the classroom. A teacher could even tie this book into a lesson about dreams and where dreams come from. This could be a stepping stone to a deeper, more mature conversation and lesson about dreams.

[Senecca Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is very adorable in my opinion. The illustrations are quite breathtaking with the paint strokes, bright, vividly colors, and its intricate details that bring the book to life. The book reminds me of myself and the childhood I had since I could relate to the cub. Sometimes I never want to miss anything while I was sleeping. This book could help my children fall to sleep if they are excited to see new things in life. Also, the book is about the imaginations and dreaming one can have.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

How many children love bedtime?

If you have a child in your home who resists going to sleep, this book could be just the thing. It's by Kate Banks, so you can expect a brilliant mind at work... along with a caring heart.... and unobstrusive skill that makes the story flow with apparent effortlessness.

For this picture book she teamed up with artist Georg Hallensleben, who provided dreamy drawings in colors that are as sweet as a melted marshmallow.

Definitely a FIVE STAR read!

[Abby Peskin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mama tiger is trying to get a little tiger to close his eyes so he can fall asleep, but he’s worried about all of the things he will miss if his eyes are closed and he can’t see them. His mother helps him to see how much more he can see when his eyes are closed and he’s dreaming than if he tries to keep them open forever.

[Jessica Leake · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be very limited. It is a very cute bedtime book for young children, but it really does not offer much besides that. I also like the pictures in the book. The book is based on a restless lion cub.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Banks Vault #7
Small tiger banging on for pretty much the whole book about why he did not want to sleep and mother tiger patiently banging on in return. Lots of banging on and no clip around the ears and get to sleep!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be a great before-bed story. The illustrations are soft and calm, as are the words that the mother tiger speaks to her baby as she calms him enough to get some sleep.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art is so beautiful!

[Seema Rao · Rating 3 out of 5]

Night night animals through some lovely pictures; not quite as wonderful as Fox by the same author

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can just feel the softness in this story. Mother Tiger is encouraging her little one to close his eyes and sleep.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tiger mother tries to get her cub to close his eyes, by telling him what he can dream about

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can I just say, that this baby tiger is FREAKING adorable!

[Drusilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Preschool. Sweet illustrations. Loving mom tiger.

[Ruth Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/15

[Luann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for a bedtime read-aloud.

[Jenna Montgomery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adorable illustrations with Mama getting little tiger to sleep with lots of reassurance.

[Tatyana Shestopalova · Rating 1 out of 5]

Found it boring, slightly creepy

[Rick Christiansen · Rating 1 out of 5]

would have to be 3 to enjoy this one.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In board book format, this is a sweet story of comfort for little ones who don't want to go to sleep or are afraid to. Mother tiger encourages and comforts her baby tiger when he is afraid and makes excuses. Lovely illustrations.

[Allison Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The little tiger does not want to close his eyes and fall asleep, for he will miss out on all the lovely things around him. His mother then describes all the even more beautiful things he can see in his dreams. Mother Tiger's wise words add a deeper level of poignance as the little tiger hints to the real reason he doesn't want to sleep:

The little tiger closed his eyes. "It's dark," he said.
"Dark like your stripes," said his mother.
"I'm scared," said the little tiger.
"Don't be scared," said his mother. "Dark is just the other side of light. It's what comes before dreams."

This bedtime story is made even more special with splendid, broadly painted illistration. At the turn of the page, illustrator Georg Hallensleben indicates Tiger's change in perspective from the real world to that of his imagination by losing the containment of a border and opening up his style to be even more childlike and innocent. There is always room on the shelf for another bedtime book, especially one as lovely as this.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many youngsters, a tiger cub is afraid of what he will miss when he closes his eyes and goes to his sleep. But his mother provides reassurance that the things he thinks he's missing can be part of his dreams and that when he awakens, she will be right there to greet him. The tender affection between parent and child and the constant support of a parent for a child are evident in every page of this lovely board book, filled with colorful illustrations and a gentle reminder not to be afraid of the unknown. I loved the images of the mountain he dreams of climbing and the ocean his mother tells him he might one day visit, if only in his dreams. This story is perfect for sharing with little ones right before they are being put to bed. It might even encourage them to close their eyes. The front of this board book features the front side of the little tiger cub while the back shows his backside. This one is adorable in every aspect.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite picture books of all time. A sweet story about a tiger cub who doesn't want to close his eyes and go to sleep because he won't be able to see the sky, the tree, or the bird with blue feathers. "Yes, you can," says momma tiger: while he sleeps, tiger cub can float among the clouds, play hide-and-seek in the trees, and fly with birds of all different colors. Once flying, he worries: "But what if I fall?" "I will be there to catch you," says mom. If he gets lost, she will find him. When he admits to being scared, mom comforts: "Dark is just the other side of light. It's what comes before dreams." And will his dreams be gone when he wakes? Yes, says mom, "But I will be here."

The words are wonderful -- spare but lyrical, reminiscent of Runaway Bunny or Goodnight Moon. And the illustrations! Gorgeous!! Broad brush strokes, deep colors, and adorable tigers.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are great illustrations--I can see how it won an award for them. This is perfect for the PJ story time. I like the mother's answers to the little cub's worries. And he is one really cute cub--that is half the reason I pulled the book off the shelf to read.

3/29/10 This was a good choice for the younger people in our PJ group. But you could tell the older ones were rather bored. Oh well. I couldn't keep reading the longer stories--those poor young 'uns. They needed something for them. And I did see some yawns...from the adults, anyhow.

[Peanut · Rating 3 out of 5]

MOMMY: 4 Stars.
Great illustrations and a sweet story about a cub that doesn't want to go to sleep. Little tiger doesn't want to miss out on all the wonderful things going on around him. Through the book his mother tells him that he can see all these things in his dreams with even more adventure. We'll try checking out this book again at a later date and see if Peanut is more interested.

PEANUT: 2 Stars.
He enjoyed it enough to pay attention during the story but over the course of 3 weeks was never really drawn back to it. He lost interest in it pretty quickly. (3 yrs old)

[janet, j. & callum morgan-robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is about reassurance, dreaming and imagination, which is why it is so cool.
the tiger's mother tells him that it's okay to dream and that she'll be there when he wakes up.
this is a very sweet and loving book and while we can't say it's a favourite of cal's (he's a little young for it), it certainly holds his attention and we love to read it to him because the artwork is amazing.

[Kaylee Warzecha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations. This can be a good bedtime story because it lets children know that they are safe while they sleep and dream. That their parents will be watching over them. It also reminds children of their imaginations and that they can have big dreams and to follow them even if they are scared. (picture)