Interest age: 1-4
Reading age: 5-7

Husherbye

Author: John Burningham

Publisher: Red Fox

Everyone is tired: the cat with the pram, the baby that’s been sailing his boat on the sea; the three tired bears, climbing the stairs. Everyone just wants to go to sleep. So, the cat finds a place for her kittens to stay, out of the wind and the snow; the baby sleeps in the boat, rocked by the waves; and the three bears are tucked up in their beds until morning. Husherbye, everyone; husherbye.

This soft, shushed delight of a bedtime book is perfect for getting little ones to sleep. John Burningham’s lilting text has a rolling rhythm and gentle assonance that carries the listener into a dream while listening. The illustrations have Burningham’s signature simplicity and expression, giving ducks, frogs and fish a real sense of weariness, which will have little ones yearning for their beds, too!