3 out of 4 stars
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There are some children who are scared of the dark. Every noise and every movement can potentially frighten them. Families are always looking for ways to help children sleep peacefully through the night. Parents may stay in the room with the child until they fall asleep. They may give the child a night light, a stuffed animal or some encouraging words. We see an example of this in Lisa Beere’s picture book, Night Noises.
Night Noises begins with a little boy named Sam, who is getting ready for bed. He gives hugs and kisses to his parents, grandparents and sister and settles down to go to sleep. He can’t sleep, however, as he hears different sounds throughout the night. With each noise he hears, he screams until a family member comes in and stops the noise while also giving him encouraging words and hugs. When it becomes too silent, he screams in fear again because he feels all alone in his room. It takes encouragement from his family and a special gift from his sister before he can peacefully fall asleep.
I found this story very endearing and thought it would be a perfect book for families to read to children at bedtime. The story has a nurturing tone that will bring comfort to young readers. The main character is relatable as young children will understand his fear of night noises and being alone. The book also carries a message. The message is that children are never on their own. There is always someone close by who will be there to comfort them if they need it.
I loved the plot, but the book had a few flaws. The first flaw that I noticed in the book was the fact that the illustrations and the words were on separate pages. In picture books, the words and pictures should always be on the same page to give children a better visual of the story. There were times when the illustrations didn’t match up to the words on the next page. Some of the pages had too many words on them and needed to either be condensed or written on a separate page.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It would’ve received a four-star rating from me if it weren’t for the flaws that I listed earlier. As for the story, I found it enjoyable. It was relatable, encouraging and I think it is great book that parents can read to children at night. It opens a dialogue about how the child is never alone because there is someone always near. I recommend this book for children between the ages of 3-8. I believe that this is a book that should be added to a child’s bookshelf.
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Night Noises
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