The Littlest Things Give the Loveliest Hugs (Mark Sperring)

Title:  The Littlest Things Give the Loveliest Hugs  

Author: Mark Sperring

Illustrator: Maddie Frost   

Target Ages: 0-6

Genre:  Bedtime Picture Book

Publisher Summary: 

From ducklings

to seal pups,

from bunnies

to cubs,

the littlest things

give the

loveliest

hugs!

In this tender celebration of love, you’ll find the sweetest bug hug, the cutest fox cuddle, and the gentlest elephant embrace you’ve ever seen!

First Lines:

How do you do it, my sweet beetle bug?

You’re ever so clever at giving a hug…

You snuggle so nicely, it really is true…

Nobody, nowhere, can cuddle like you!

Memorable Moment:

Every page is a memorable moment! 

Evaluation:

I fell in love with this book instantly!  From start to finish, the poetic language and endearing pictures pulled me in. This story is perfect for little ones cuddled on laps or snuggled close. 

The soft, vivid colors capture animals with their babies, such as seals nose to nose in the ocean, mice snuggling in the wheat field, koalas clinging to their moms in a tree, penguins holding their babies on an icy terrain, and foxes in their burrow under the night sky. 

As the nighttime creeps in, there is a shift from animals in their habitats to a mother and child hugging as they drift off to sleep in their home. 

The delightful refrain and rhythmic language are as soothing as a lullaby.  Alliterative phrases like “my duckling, my dear” and “my darling, my dove” work both for the illustrations and for terms of endearment between parent and child reading the book together.  Other phrases provide feelings of comfort and security, such as “sing to you softly” and “cozy up close.” 

Snuggle up with your little one and read The Littlest Things Give the Loveliest Hugs.  This storybook is sure to bring families closer and to make bedtime sweeter.

Activities and Extension Ideas for Home Learning:

• Animal Identification:  Point to the animals and identify them.  Encourage your children to repeat after you and eventually identify them on their own.
• Alliteration:  Identify words with the same beginning sound.  Brainstorm other words with the same beginning sound.
• Rhyme:  Identify rhyming words.  Practice other words that rhyme with them. 
• Habitats:  Discuss how animals live in different places.  Look for clues on the pages for what type of place they live.
• Counting:  Count the animals or animal babies on each page together. 

Want more recommendations from around the web?  Check out Perfect Picture Book Friday.  

Best New Picture Books for Bedtime

I love a good bedtime story.  There are so many classic favorites.  Here is a list of more recently published picture books, perfect for little ones—birth to however long your kids (or grandkids) will allow you to read to them.

Chengdu Could Not, Would Not Fall Asleep

Barney Saltzberg, author & illustrator

Everyone is asleep in the bamboo grove, except Chengdu.  He tosses, turns, and twitches, but he just cannot get into the a comfortable enough position to drift off.  Then he tries rolling and hanging.  Still, wide-awake.  Chengdu finally finds a solution…unfortunately, it has unintended consequences.  If your little ones love panda bears (like me), they won’t be able to resist this bedtime book. 

Bedtime for Yeti

Vin Vogel, author & illustrator

Yeti and his stuffed friend do everything together—swing, snack, play.  They look forward to snuggling together at bedtime.  When his friend goes missing, Yeti looks everywhere for him.   He ends up having to go to bed without him, but he is afraid of the shadows and noises.  A flash of lightening from a thunderstorm illuminates his room. Yeti spies his friend surrounded by danger.  Yeti must find the courage to save him.  It is a delightful story for children with bedtime fears and stuff-animal dependence.

Good Night, Bunny

Lauren Thompson, author

Stephanie Yue, illustrator

In this soothing and endearing bedtime story, Bunny says good night to his world—the flowers, the insects, the birds, and other creatures.  Rhythmic lines like “Good night, sun and bright red sky.  Good night, swallows swooping by” help lull little ones to sleep. The stunning watercolor illustrations help create a perfect nighttime read. 

Monster Trouble!

Lane Fredrickson, author

Michael Robertson, illustrator

Winifred Schnitzel is not afraid of anything—not pirates, not scary movies, and not even monsters.  At bedtime, though, the neighborhood monsters will not leave her alone so she could sleep.  She tries all sorts of clever ways to keep them at bay, but they keep coming back…until she finally discovers their one silly weakness!  This imaginative story takes the idea of keeping away the monsters to a whole new level! 

Go Sleep in Your Own Bed!

Candace Fleming, author

Lori Nichols, illustrator

It is bedtime on the farm—but many of the animals have fallen asleep in the wrong spot!  Pig toddles to his sty. When he plops down, he hears a “moooo!” Who could that be?  Cow!  Pig tells her, “Go Sleep in your own bed!”  Cow tromps to her stall, but she hears a loud “bwaaaak!” It’s chicken. The story follows the same predictable repetitive pattern until all the animals have settled in the correct beds.  The sound clues encourage listeners to guess who is in the wrong bed each time.  Go Sleep in Your Own Bed! is a comical, interactive bedtime narrative..

I Just Want to Say Good Night

Rachel Isadora, author & illustrator

The day is coming to a close.  The moon is out.  Lala is not ready to go to sleep though.  With a stunning African village backdrop, the young girl visits the nearby animals—cat, goat, monkey, bird—to tell them “good night.”  Grasping for a way to stay awake, she wishes the ants, the rocks, and even her book a “good night.” The vivid pictures and increasingly soothing colors, make for a lovely diverse reading experience that illustrates a universal nighttime ritual.  The story ends with a sweet tribute to Margaret Wise Brown’s Good Night Moon.

Touch the Brightest Star

Christie Matheson, author & illustrator

Children are invited to help make the “magic” of the night happen.  They press on the firefly to help him glow, blow a quiet breeze, pat the deer, make a wish on a star, and much more.  The simple text and illustrations introduce listeners to the sights and sounds of the night while lulling them off to sleep.  The winning interactive text makes this story stand out from the pack. 

My Tail’s Not Tired!

Jana Novotny Hunter, author

Paula Bowles, illustrator

Little Monster can’t go to bed—his knees aren’t tired yet, or his bottom, or is tail.  He is full of wiggles, swings, and boings!  Big Monster helps Little Monster get out all his left over energy and, finally, drift off to sleep.  This one is perfect for the rambunctious child who needs help settling down. 

The Big Bed

Bunmi Laditan, author

Tom Knight, illustrator

Reluctant to sleep in her own bed, the smart and witty protagonists attempts to convince her parents she needs to sleep in their big bed—but, only with mommy.  She anticipates their objections and refutes each one (including the peeing the bed issue).  The argument ends with an “ideal” solution for where daddy will sleep. Full of humor and spunk, this story is sure to make kids and adults laugh.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Car

Kate Dopirak, author

Mary Peterson, illustrator

It’s bedtime, but little car wants to drive instead.  Using the rhythmic tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” he travels around town wishing the other cars and trucks goodnight.  Finally feeling tired out, he returns home so his beep-beep dreams can start.  It is the perfect story for car and truck enthusiasts. 

Here are reviews for a couple other recent bedtime stories... 

Nothing Can Frighten a Bear 

Where, Oh Where, Is Baby Bear?

Other Stories to Check Out

Good Day, Good Night

Don’t Blink

George in the Dark

The Too-Scary Story

If Your Monster Won’t Go to Bed

Sleep Well, Siba and Saba (Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl)

Title:  Sleep Well, Siba and Saba

Author:  Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl

Illustrator:  Sandra van Doorn

Target Ages:  3-7

Genre:  Picture Book

Awards:  Kirkus Best Picture Books of 2017, A Might Girl’s 2017 Books of the Year

Publisher Summary:

Forgetful sisters Siba and Saba are always losing something. Sandals, slippers, sweaters – you name it, they lose it. When the two sisters fall asleep each night, they dream about the things they have lost that day. Until, one night, their dreams begin to reveal something entirely unexpected…

First Lines:

Siba and Saba lost things. Not a day slipped by when the sisters hadn’t lost something…somewhere.

Memorable Moment:

And from that day on, Siba and Saba never again dreamed of the things they had lost.  They only dreamed about the special things they would someday see.

Evaluation: 

Sleep Well, Siba and Saba can be enjoyed on many levels. Young children will love this story of close-knit sisters who have a knack for losing track of their possessions while they are caught up in the moment.  The glimpses of Ugandan culture and the scenic views are enchanting.  The soothing alliterative language floats like dream, making it an ideal bedtime story. 

However, the narrative works on another level.  The sisters are holding on to the past, even in their dreams.  By doing so, they are kept in place—in their childhood. When their dreams begin to look to the future, though, the possibilities are endless. 

Finally, it illustrates the girls’ maturity.  Siba is entrusted with money…for her future.  Saba receives a school uniform…in preparation for a new chapter in her life.  Even as they move forward, it is clear that their family’s love is constant. 

The illustrations add to the dreamy experience.  Eye-catching yellows, greens, and reds fill the pages with lively shapes and fanciful flora.  Realist scenes such as market day and sleepovers are countered with surreal ones with animals wearing shoes and sweaters flying through the air.  

Sleep Well, Siba and Saba is a poignant and whimsical look at childhood—full of beautiful moments in the present as well as hopeful ones for the future.

Nothing Can Frighten a Bear (Elizabeth Dale)

Title:  Nothing Can Frighten a Bear

Author:  Elizabeth Dale

Illustrator:  Paula Metcalf

Target Ages:  3-8

Genre:  Picture Book Fiction

Publisher Summary: 

Daddy Bear insists that nothing can frighten a bear – but when there’s a noise in the night, Baby Bear isn’t convinced. The bears set out to make sure there aren’t any monsters but, as they vanish one by one, it looks like Daddy Bear might not be so brave after all!

First Lines:

Deep, deep in the woods, with the moon shining bright, some bears snuggled up in their beds for the night. 

There was Mommy Bear, Daddy Bear…Grace, and then Ben…and Baby Bear, too, who lay dreaming but then…

Memorable Moment:

When Baby Bear realizes the source of the roar (I won’t spoil it though).

Evaluation

In this up-side-down bear “hunting” narrative, the bears are the ones searching for the monster after Baby Bear is awoken by a loud noise.  The story is full of suspense and nighttime adventure.

During the hunt, various family members get caught in the forest (in a tree, a stream, and some mud).  Initially, Father Bear and Baby Bear are oblivious that the others have gone missing.  When they finally realize it, they panic. For a moment, both wonder---Did the monster get them?  

Out of the darkness appear not one, not two, but three fierce looking dark creatures.  As they are about to flee, they hear the “monsters” say “Hey.”

Baby Bear realizes it is his mother and siblings!  They are a mess because they got caught in forest brush.  The family ventures back home—deep, deep in the woods—to go back to sleep.

A roar awakens baby Bear again.  He is certain it is a monster.  His family—who are still awake—know the source though…and it is not a monster.

Nothing Can Frighten a Bear is an amusing bedtime story that assures children what they hear go “bump” in the night is not a monster or any other scary creature.  It is the imagination rather than real danger that frightens us.   With some gentle encouragement from this storybook, young “bears” learn to be “brave as can be.”   

Activities and Extension Ideas for Lesson Plans:

• Nighttime Walk:  Go on a dusk or night walk together to observe what comes out during that time.  Investigate the noises and discover their origins. 
• Fears: Use the book to discuss and dispel nighttime fears. 
• Science:  Learn more about bears and their habits. 
• Math:  As each bear gets caught in the forest, explain it as a math problem.  There were 5 bears and 1 is caught in the forest.  How many are left?  Count them together.
• Literature:  Compare and contrast the story with other bear hunt stories like We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.