Good Night Rituals with BOOKS, and More!

I began working on this post by searching for previous posts in which I discuss the importance of bedtime books in my childhood. I addressed the importance of books from birth onward in this post. It seems I never directly addressed the powerful role my own parents played (BOTH Mom and Dad) in shaping me and my siblings as lifelong readers. I honestly cannot remember a night that didn't include time spent with read-aloud/follow-along books, most often with the kids all piling into one of our beds like puppies. 
I grew up at a time when publishing children's books and our limited economic conditions meant access to books was NOTHING like the current plethora of glorious choices available to families today. Our home kid-lit library contained only about five or six traditional-tale anthologies and a couple of well-worn Disney books (based directly on the movies). Here's a look at our nightly go-to collection: 

Repetition was NEVER an issue, since both Mom and Dad loved to read, recognized the impact of ritual, and would interpret the voices, drama, and humor of those stories with unlimited variations of expression and style. 

Now that school is back in session, it's a perfect time to establish reasonable bedtimes with a read-aloud ritual. To encounter resistance to summer's end and summer habits is not uncommon and becomes most clear at bedtime. The first two books here reflect some of that normal pattern in ways that are both amusing and comforting, while also serving to ease the day to its end in the best possible way- with books!

GOOD NIGHT! GOOD NIGHT! is written and illustrated by Carin Berger. If yours is already a GOOD NIGHT MOON family, you'll recognize some parallels with this book, but also appreciate its delightful, unique approach. The back cover question says it all: Will these silly little bunnies EVER go too sleep? 
The spare text combines with simple but charming collage illustrations to make the problem and the pattern clear:  After early page turns revealing familiar rituals, there this: 

"Good-night hugs. AGAIN. 

Good-night... DANCES!

dances?"

It's a sheer delight, a giggle-inducing discovery that holds up during repeated readings. 

A less subtle version of bedtime resistance can be found in 10 LITTLE NINJAS, written by Miranda Paul and illustrated by Nate Wragg. I wrote about this book and bedtime battle in a prior post that included other great bedtime books. You can check those out, here. It would be fun to include both of these titles in a nightly rotation. The kids will be reciting along with you, easing themselves to sleep in the process. 

What matters even more than the books you use (or how limited your selection of books may be) is the message your children will absorb, the feelings they'll develop, the sense of empowerment they'll gain. You'll transmit all that and more by spending a few minutes at your child's bedside each night sharing books, stories, and even music. You'll be raising book-lovers and readers. That's absolutely true.
But you'll also be raising individuals who have an enormous capacity to see themselves as competent actors on the world stage.

I say that in a purely anecdotal and personal way. I was privileged to grow up in a stable, loving home with plenty of daily squabbles but a huge amount of security. Trying to separate the effects of our nightly readings from the other hours of the day and say definitively that this variable made the difference in my own life is unsupportable, but feels undeniable. I know with certainty that all of it mattered, but those nightly minutes with Mom or Dad are some of the warmest memories of my long life. And what I gained from them stretches far beyond literacy.  

Author Michael Leannah must know this truth, too. Perhaps that awareness comes from his own childhood experiences, but I'm certain it also comes from his perspective and practice as a parent. His recent release, GOODNIGHT WHISPERS is illustrated by Dani Torrent. (If you or the kids in your lives have had concerns about frequently reported acts of violence in our society, you'll want to know about Michael's earlier picture book, MOST PEOPLE, review and interview HERE.)

I'm confident of Michael's agreement because his text cuts to the heart of the bedtime ritual. 

In his story the loving father does not read to his growing child, but begins with nightly whispers and progresses to a lifetime of loving whispers. Each whisper is an affirmation of his daughter's goodness, strength, persistence, skills, determination, and capacity to succeed in the world. In a very real sense this dad's day-to-day reassurances and comforts are the opposite of the much-maligned lament that "kids today" are over-praised and becoming "snowflakes". 
Instead, the situation-specific whispers acknowledge a child's shortcomings, failures, and struggles while providing reassurance that the dad has seen and values the unique qualities, inner strengths, and attitudes his daughter displays amid the challenges of life. 
What matters in this book, in the  whispers, bedtime stories, and even family dinnertable time, is the consistency of the practice, the ritual, and the many ways in which the messages convey confidence and love. 
And WORTH.
So, YES to reading at bedtime, for all of the literacy and life practices that will develop. 
But an even more powerful YES to doing things intentionally with kids, on a consistent and caring basis. These will be the moments, repeated daily, that will seep into the characters of kids and carry them on through life. 

To read about another family ritual, here's an archived Father's Day post about the FUNNY PAPERS.

MOST PEOPLE... Are Good People (Plus Author Interview)

How do you feel about that blog title? Do you agree? There's no doubt that our world, our country, our individual communities include some people who SHOULD not, CANNOT be trusted. This post is not meant to suggest that there are "fine people" in every group, an assertion recently (and wrongly) declared about groups that actively espouse hatred, violence, and evil intents.

Tilbury House Publishers, 2017

In his debut picture book release, MOST PEOPLE, author Michael Leannah's reassuring text pairs with J. E. Morris's illustrations to present a strongly positive view of the people of the world. In doing so, they push back against the onslaught of daily news representing threats and violence.  Together they offer much-needed reassurance. 
Leannah's straightforward text and Morris's appealing illustrations showcase a diverse urban community, one presented as safe and welcoming. Individuals and families vary in age, skin color, cultural practices, daily pursuits, and style choices. Each page-turn reveals, and then confirms, that they share more in common than their differences might suggest. In fact, any assumptions "suggested" by their diverse appearances are those stemming from learned biases on the part of the readers.

Reality is inserted directly in brief text snippets about recognizable situations: bad language, lying, stealing, bullying, property damage, etc. Those are balanced by the image of a theoretical line of "people who do good" stretching out for miles while people "in the bad line" would fit in a dark and gloomy room. Proportionally, this is a fairly realistic ratio. I appreciate that in neither case are the people themselves labeled as "good" or "bad". In fact, reassurance is offered that "People who do bad things can change. There is a seed of goodness inside them waiting to sprout."

On first glance this upbeat view of humanity may feel a bit exaggerated, even utopian. That reaction is particularly likely from cynical adults. If your impulse is to dismiss the premise or argue that our world has become far more sinister than safe, perhaps you need this book every bit as much as the young children in your lives. 

Parents and teachers are obligated to inform young ones about our history, current events, real and present dangers, and moral responsibility in the face of great need or oppression. As I indicated in a recent post, here, we do children a disservice if we leave the impression that all "others" are in some way threatening or threatened, are more different than similar to us, are monolithic rather than individuals. Add this title to my earlier recommendations to present a balanced, wholistic, positive view of humans, near or far, familiar or exotic.

The author of MOST PEOPLE, Michael Leannah, agreed to answer a few questions about his debut picture book.

SB: Congratulations, Mike, and thanks for agreeing to share the story behind this story. MOST PEOPLE is very suited to recent national and world events. Can you share the “origin story” about what inspired you to write MOST PEOPLE and how it developed over time?

ML: It goes back fifteen years, at least, sometime after 9-11. I remember walking amidst children on the playground during recess. I had small children at home then, too. I didn’t want them—or myself—to be living in such fear. I wrote a few lines about most people being good and kind, wanting the same things: a good and happy life for their family and friends. Over the years I dabbled with it, but didn’t really put my nose to the grindstone until a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, there were many times when I found myself wishing it were finished, because something happened in the news that made the book’s message pertinent. Now that the book is out, people are telling me this is a good time for it, which is true, I suppose, but, sadly, there will probably always be a need for this message.

SB: I'm afraid that's true, and kids make us all the more aware of it. You have a long history working in  classrooms and libraries. But now that you are devoting more time to writing, do you work with a critique group? If so, how did you find like-minded writing partners and how did they help you shape this book and others.

ML: Over the years, I have belonged to various critique groups, and all have been helpful. I’ve been meeting monthly with my current group for about ten years now. We found each other through SCBWI, went to the same writing workshops, and attended classes together when they were offered. I would be lost without SCBWI. I can’t imagine life without my critique group.

Side note: SCBWI is the international professional organization for creators of books for children: SOCIETY OF CHILDREN'S BOOK WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS. I agree entirely with Mike's endorsement of SCBWI for anyone seriously hoping to produce work for readers 0-20 years of age.

 SB: Your text for MOST PEOPLE straddles that fine line between sounding didactic and conversational.  My own writing partners are my best defense against crossing over that line, readily pointing out when my text is “sounding too much like a teacher”. Were you concerned with achieving that balance? If so, how did you deal with that challenge?

ML: Being didactic gets us into trouble primarily when we explain things the reader already knows. Most People is meant to be instructional. Those who welcome its message—be they children or adults—do so because it reaffirms what they feel in their hearts. The book is most meaningful to people who, because of what they have heard on the news and elsewhere, have started to doubt those feelings in their hearts. So, yes, Most People teaches something and what it teaches isn’t anything new, but it works because it provides a bit of push-back against all the negativity out there.

SB: The illustrations have enormous depth and insight into your text, providing a familiar setting and visual narrative while offering a wealth of subtle detail and subplots among the various people portrayed.  What were your reactions when you first saw them?

ML: I loved them! And I’m convinced that ten different illustrators would have taken the story in ten different directions. What you see on the pages is nothing like what I envisioned as I wrote the story. I liked what I saw in my mind’s eye, but what Jennifer came up with is so much better. Some of those pictures could stand alone as pieces of art, in frames on the wall.

 SB: Can you tell us more about your other forthcoming picture books?

ML: Thanks for asking. Goodnight Whispers is similar to Most People in that it features unnamed characters focusing on an element of life to which we can all relate. They both are meant to inspire and motivate. Farmer Huckinshuck’s Wild Ride is very different, a goofball account of a farmer taking his animals for a ride into town. All three stories came to fruition at once. They’re like three children, all different, who you love very much.

SB: I'm guessing readers will love them, too. Thanks for sharing your time and insights with us here, and keep 'em coming!

MOST PEOPLE was featured along with other titles, old and new, that show kids "goodness in the world" via Readbrightly.com.

And let's never lose sight of or stop sharing the wisdom and guidelines offered by much-loved-and-missed Mr. Rogers: "Look for the helpers."

Poster via Reddit

Congratulations to Mike, whose debut picture book is among other titles for developing empathy as featured in the NEW YORK TIMES .