Moonlight mums by Laura Stitzel

When this little girl goes to bed, Dad tucks her in under the blankets, reminding her that her mother will be in soon to give her a kiss goodnight. Mum is working away form home, and is very busy but will always make time to give that final kiss goodnight.

The verses found on each page remind the readers of the routine at night time and the hugs received before drifting off to sleep. Each refrain repeats words preparing the child for sleep, showing other animals that wait for their mothers to return. The soft illustrations surround the reader with warmth and love as the offspring: human, animal or bird is enfolded within a mother’s arms. I love the image of the mother coming home to her child, shown at work, then the feet coming down the path, reaching the front door, then the door to the bedroom, and then kissing the child goodnight. These images are reflected by the bird flying back to her nest or the wombat going down into the hole where her baby is sleeping: each animal is radiating a mother’s love.

The lines are simple enough for a child to predict the rhyming word and perhaps learn some of the lines to read along with the adult as they hear the book.

This will be a comforting book to read as a child goes to bed, reading aloud as the child falls asleep.

Themes: Sleep, Family, Verse.

Fran Knight