Rate this book

Go To Sleep, Little Farm (2014)

by Mary Lyn Ray(Favorite Author)

3.5 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0544150147 (ISBN13: 9780544150140)

languge

English

genre

Middle Grade & Children's

publisher

HMH Books for Young Readers

review 1: I was very disappointed with this book. The artwork was fine, but although it purports to be a bedtime/night time book, it has misinformation by implying that the beaver and mice, nocturnal animals, and rabbits, crepuscular animals, are all going to sleep at same time as the child in the story. Rabbits are crepuscular, and can sleep with their eyes open, as prey animals, not like the illustrations depict if they are . Foxes are primarily nocturnal or crepuscular, although they can be active during the day. I recognize the chicken roosting on the moon as humorous/whimsical, and don't have any problems with that, but the way the information is presented, it appears that most animals around the farm are being depicted in natural settings. The crepuscular fawn IS shown out e... moreating while the girl is going to bed, so that one seems to be not out of place, but the mix overall appears misleading at a time when Common Core suggests more nonfiction or "informational texts" be included throughout the child's reading, as early as possible. I like the idea of the illustrator's comparing the child's positions as she gets ready for bed to the different sleeping places (weaving together misc. pieces into a "bed," in a log, under the ground, etc.) But that was not enough to overcome my misgivings. I would NOT recommend this to a young reader unless it were part of a discussion on -- can you spot what doesn't match, or what is imagination, bending of facts to fit the story?
review 2: This bedtime book didn't quite work for me. Not that it was awful. It wasn't. It leans more towards poetry than most picture books. For better or worse. Some lines, some rhymes seem to work well. Take the opening line, for example, "Somewhere a bee makes a bed in a rose, because the bee knows day has come to a close." This book is all about imagery and language and the sounds of words--being lulling. If a lulling bedtime book works, works dependably to send little ones to sleep quickly, or, efficiently then that has some value especially to parents. The reason this one doesn't quite work for me is because some of the imagery is a bit too bizarre or whimsical...for me. It doesn't start out that way. It really doesn't. So the whimsy sneaks up on a reader. Is that good? Is that bad? Who can say! I'll show you what I mean, "Now little fish lie still in a brook. Somewhere a story goes to sleep in a book. Somewhere a worm sleeps in the dirt. Somewhere a pocket sleeps in a skirt."The illustrations. Well. Some spreads I do love. Others seem--at least at first glance--even more bizarre than the text itself. They do match the whimsical, surreal tone of the text. So if you love one, you'll probably love the other. less

Download links for: Go to Sleep, Little Farm

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