The Great Kiwi Bedtime Book product reviews

If it were up to Miss Nearly Ten, the complete review of the book would say "This book ROCKS" but since most people like a little more than that, I'll share some of her ideas and thoughts. All three of the kids thought this book sounded really sweet, and were very happy when I won it from KIWIreviews, so I thought I would do a review on it.

This book is a very very kiwi/New Zealand book from the front to the back in every way and it absolutely charming and written and illustrated so well that is keeps the attention of both adult and child, which as a parent, when you are asked the read the same book over and over, it is good to have one you enjoy!

My daughter (Miss nearly Ten) read the book first and all I kept hearing was "wow ,cool, awww and Mum come and look at this". She particularly loved the illustrations and all the little extras to spot, whilst the story kept building on the same theme throughout, and intermingling Te Reo in there as well. I do not want to say too much, as it is honestly a book worth buying!!

I really loved the illustrations as well, but liked that the book was a long book done in landscape - rather than horizontal, it also makes it perfect to lie open on your lap while reading. The book is also beautifully made, which is what a house hold with children needs!

Would absolutely buy this book and gift it on as a really nice piece with the mesmerizing sights and uniqueness of Aotearoa.

In this house we love to read books, the children especially like to read before bedtime, sometimes they use it as an excuse to stay up later, I like that it can be a time to unwind together, snuggled up with each other. Recently through our public library we found a new children's book author, that the children cannot enough of his books. This author is called Donovan Bixley, and we are proud to say he is a New Zealand author. In the past we have read numerous books of his including The Wheels on the Bus, The Kiwi ABC Book, and our current favourite book to read at bedtime is The Looky Book. While browsing the KIWIreviews site I noticed that Donovan Bixley had released a new book, I was ecstatic and quickly jumped at the opportunity to request a copy. When the review goodies arrived and the children saw the book, the children were over the moon and of course we had to read it straight away.

This book has a soft cover, and is printed in landscape format, the cover is vibrant in colour and the illustrations are cute and eye-catching, featuring a kiwi, cows, tuatara, whales and bees. When we opened to the title page, the inside cover has some empty beds on it, now the kids have read several of Donovan's books and knew that there would be something throughout the book relating to these beds, they put it down to the fact they would have to work out which animals go in which bed. I sneakily snuck a look at the back and sure enough the beds now had animals in them.

When we started reading the story the children were absolutely transfixed, especially my 5 year old boy. Throughout the story I love how the author has incorporated Maori words into the storyline alongside the English. On each page I found it amazing the amount of detail that went into each illustration, and the sheer amount of objects the illustrator managed to pack into some of the pictures, each picture is exceptionally vibrant, but at the same time soft.
The storyline focuses on the animals of New Zealand (Aotearoa) going to sleep for the night (with the exception of one certain type of native bird_ and shows where they choose to fall asleep. Throughout the book there is stunning scenery, of which can be found in our beautiful country, I personally liked the sea scene with the dolphins and whales.

I think this book makes a wonderful addition to our collection, it has now been read every night since we received it, and I believe it would appeal to children from birth to around 8 or 9 years. We will eagerly await seeing what other Kiwi classics Donovan Bixley can create next.

Like many children, Mr Two and Miss Nearly Five don't especially like to go to bed when the clock says it is time. There are too many things to do and enjoy, and although they are clearly tired, it sometimes takes a little persuasion to actually get them to settle. That is where a good bedtime book like this comes in. The quiet flow of the text and the calming colours of the pictures do have a settling effect on them; add to this the way that all the animals are snuggling down and keeping warm, and the children are able to appreciate the ambiance and relax along with them!

A noticeable aspect of their appreciation has been the way they are both starting to think critically about what they read and see. Miss Nearly Five is able to retell the story in her own words, using the pictures to guide her, and it will not be long before she can recognise a good part of the text as well. Mr Two is at the age where every second utterance is a question - he needs to know why, and how, and where! His big question here was just how warm and comfortable some of the animals might be when their bed of choice does not look very suitable. Being a human child, he is used to warm bedding and a nice soft mattress.

From an adult's perspective, the graphics in this book are stunning. Not only do they promote relaxation, they also provide a visual feast of colour and detail. It is also rewarding to see the children's responses to the different animal representations. Many of these pictures emphasise the bond between parent and child, something that is of equal importance for preschoolers who still rely heavily on cuddles with mum and dad (and other family members, of course). This aspect is rewarding for the adult when the child snuggles up in imitation of the animal families as they nod off. It also underlines the similarities between species: humans are not so distant from the world of birds or fish after all!

One of the things I found really charming was the bed display at the start and end of the book. At the beginning the beds were empty, all ready for the sleeper to arrive. But at the end all the beds were occupied, even if some of the sleepers were a little unusual (a robot? and an egg?) But despite the occasionally unusual occupants, they were all tucked up, eyes closed and very happy! I also liked the way that the kiwi woke up at the end of the story, just as everyone else was going to bed. It was so cute, and reassuring to be able to explain that kiwi do sleep too, just not at the same time as everyone else.

As for the local aspects of the book, the illustrations reflect all the different landscapes in Aotearoa, from underwater scenes, to farmland, to native bush, to hilltop. So many little extras highlight the various views of our country that make it unique. Every child will recognise at least some of the scenes; while not being able to identify precisely where they might be, there is a comforting familiarity about them which will appeal to little ones and reassure them that they are in a safe space as they gradually succumb to sleep.