Switching On the Moon

Switching on the Moon. A Very First Book of Bedtime Poems. Collected by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. 2010. September 2010. Candlewick Press. 96 pages.

This is a beautifully illustrated collection of poems. The poems are grouped thematically into three categories: going to bed, sweet dreams, in the night. It features a wide selection of poets--both past and present including Lee Bennett Hopkins, Langston Hughes, Eleanor Farjeon, Alice Schertle, Lord Alfred Tennyson, Sylvia Plath, Tony Mitton, Jane Yolen, and Douglas Florian. To name just a few. Some of the poems are new to this collection, I believe. (At least, they're 2010 poems.) One of my favorites is Bath by JoEllen Bogart.

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
Go upstairs.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
Say your prayers.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
Turn out the light.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
Say good night.

-- Anonymous (37)

© Becky Laney of Young Readers