bedtime books review

When me and my sister were young kids, my mommy always read to us before going to bed. Our selection of story choices ranged from fairy tales such as Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, to Aesop's Fables, Heidi and The Little Match Girl. Going to bed was a pleasure because mommy read to us. She did the same when my brothers were small too.

Now that I'm a mom, I've picked up that practice. I read to Ziv before I put him to bed. Most of the time, he's more interested in mouthing the books instead of the story, but there are times, like this afternoon, when he seemed really into the story I was telling. I think he's beginning to understand words, if he doesn't already.

We currently have three bedtime/naptime books in rotation, all of which I borrowed from the library:

1) HUG by Jez Alborough

Hug is about baby monkey Bobo who wanders through the forest, seeing pairs of animals embracing each other. At first he's glad that he sees them hugging but later on, he grew sad when he realized that he doesn't have anyone to hug. The story ends happily when Bobo's mom finally finds him and gives him a hug.

When I first picked this up, I didn't know there were no other word in it except "hug." The story is wonderfully told through vibrant illustrations, also done by Jez Alborough. The characters' emotions are expressed through their faces and body language. Even if Bobo doesn't say he's sad, you'll know he's sad because he looks it.

This book challenges parents' storytelling capabilities because it's wordless. Since it's easier for me, I tell Ziv the story in a mix of Filipino and English. I read this to him before his nap, and he was so engrossed with the photos, and I'd like to think, my storytelling too. He actually smiled when mommy monkey found Bobo.

After finishing this story, I always give Ziv a big hug, like the one mommy monkey gave Bobo. :)

2) Daddy Cuddles by Anne Gutman and Georg Hallensleben

I borrowed this book because it's about the expression of fatherly love. The book shows beautifully illustrated daddy animals snuggling with their babies, and at the end, a human father and child. Whenever I read this to Ziv and we come to the last page, I always tell him "That's dada and that's Ziv. They are cuddling!"

3) Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

This is another book that's told almost entirely in colorful pictures, save for a couple of speech bubbles saying "Good night." 

Good Night, Gorilla is about a zookeeper who does his nightly rounds at the zoo. The gorilla stole the zookeeper's keys and followed him as he said good night to the animals. He doesn't realize that gorilla was unlocking the animals' cages! 

As the zookeeper made his way home, the animals followed him and was able to slip into his bedroom. When his wife said good night to him, all the animals answered good night back! The wife lead all of them back to the zoo, but the mischievous gorilla followed her back and slept beside her, pretty much like a little kid who refuses to sleep on his own bed.

Ziv is captivated by the illustrations in this book but I think it's quite long for him. Halfway through it he seems to lose interest. I imagine this book will be good for toddlers though.