The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep by Carl-Johan Forssen Ehrlin
| The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep by Carl-Johan Forssen Ehrlin | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: It's akin to hypnosis, but with practice (it's not plug and play, by any means) this could be the answer to those bedtime battles. Highly recommended. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: October 2015 |
| Publisher: Ladybird | |
| ISBN: 978-0241255162 | |
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Roger the Rabbit wanted to fall asleep, but somehow he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried. It wasn't that he didn't do much during the day, because he did but sometimes he was so tired that he could fall asleep on the swings. One night Mummy Rabbit took Roger to see Uncle Yawn, who had a notice outside his house saying I can make anyone fall asleep and once Roger went home (it was actually quite difficult for him to get there as his eyes kept closing) he went straight to bed and fell asleep.
Not many picture books come with instructions, but this one does and not only will you be well advised to read them first, but you should also practice reading the story aloud. Parts of the text are marked where you have to perform an action - don't worry [Yawn] won't demand too much of your acting talents - or insert your child's name. You need to get this right. Bold texts needs to be emphasised: sleep, now. Words in italic text are to be read in a slow and calm voice and you're even encouraged to pronounce the name of the rabbit as Rohhh-gerrr with two yawns. Practice. Be patient. This could pay dividends. You need to have it right before you try it out in combat conditions.
I had a light-bulb moment with this book and another where I was about to scoff and then had to eat my words. The light-bulb moment came after I finished my first read through. This, I thought, is boring. It's enough to send anyone to... And it is. I felt tired just reading it. A nap seemed like a good idea. Then the light came on. That was the idea. It's a form of hypnosis: there's a lot of repetition particularly of words like down and sleep. Reading it through made me feel sleepy: hearing it read is even more compelling. The 'scoff' moment came when I first opened the book and read a warning that the book could cause drowsiness or an unintended catnap and that you should be particularly careful near someone who is driving or doing something else that requires wakefulness. Hmm, I thought - I've read that sort of hype before, but after the first read through I munched my words cheerfully: don't try and get a toddler off to sleep in the back of the car and expect the driver to stay on the road.
It takes practice, but it does work. There are illustrations in the book - they're very muted and not designed for an intense discussion about what Roger Rabbit is doing. They're pictures of a very tired or sleepy rabbit which make you feel, well, rather weary. I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
We've a Top Ten Picture Books For Overcoming Bedtime Woes, but we think this one might be the most successful way of getting junior off to sleep. There's even an audio download of Rabbit which last an hour and eight minutes.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep by Carl-Johan Forssen Ehrlin at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You could get a free audio download of The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep by Carl-Johan Forssen Ehrlin with a 30-day Audible free trial at Amazon.co.uk.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep by Carl-Johan Forssen Ehrlin at Amazon.com.
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