'By keeping the text spare, Botman allows readers to focus on the illustrations, which are quite lovely. They appear to have been done with pastel crayons or some other smudgy medium, as they have a comforting, mottled look. A charming and very simple introduction to animals and their sleeping habits for babies and toddlers.'
– Kirkus Reviews
'Botman's latest nature-themed work does double duty, offering a few facts to the youngest of readers while gently lulling them to sleep. Children learn about the nocturnal habits of various creatures — cows and sheep bed down in the hay, while rabbits and bears sleep in dens (the contrast between the hulking bear and the tiny bunny is delightful). Set against vivid, detailed backgrounds, these sumptuous illustrations will have eyelids drooping in no time.'
– School Library Journal
'Luminous snoozy images depict the animals peacefully curled up in their woodland, farm, and home environments. Each animal is surrounded with warm, halo-like colors and visual textures that echo their environments, from barnyard hay to warm, deep dens, bringing gentle artistry to the pages and an invitation for readers, too, to bed down. How do you sleep?'
– Publishers Weekly
'Botman's gorgeous detailed artwork brings the animals vividly to life making this an ideal book for a pre-school read at bedtime.'
– Outside In World
'Beautiful... Unreservedly recommended for family, daycare center, preschool, and community library children's board book collections.'
– Midwest Book Review
'The book is an ideal size for small hands to grasp and take hold of, and at the same time it is sturdy enough to withstand the wear and tear it is certain to be given from younger readers. There are minimal words and the animals are not named so the book presents a great opportunity for adult and child to work together in order to identify and explore each creature and what they are doing.'
– Armadillo
'With detailed artwork in warm, cosy colours, and simple descriptive language, this is a lovely book to read with young children to learn more about a range of animals and extend a child's vocabulary.'
– Juno
'[A] short but sweet little book that would be perfect for bed or rest time.'
– Youth Services Book Review
2019-04-28
A brief introduction to some of the ways animals sleep.
The book starts off with the titular phrase, "Hello animals! How do you sleep?" On each double-page spread, two beautiful and realistic illustrations provide the answer. The text is spare: "Warm in the hay" (a calf and a foal); "Tucked in my tail" (a squirrel and a fox); "Cozy on cushions" (a dog and a cat); "Curled in nests" (a hedgehog and a gerbil); "Deep in dens" (a rabbit and a bear); and "Snuggled in straw" (two ducklings and a hen). The animals are not named, but most will be familiar to adult readers if not children. Author/illustrator Botman is from the Netherlands, and it shows in the choices of some of the animals illustrated, such as a hedgehog and a red squirrel, which are not native to North America. By keeping the text spare, Botman allows readers to focus on the illustrations, which are quite lovely. They appear to have been done with pastel crayons or some other smudgy medium, as they have a comforting, mottled look.
A charming and very simple introduction to animals and their sleeping habits for babies and toddlers. (Board book. 1-3)
