Still 'round the corner there may
wait
A new road or secret gate,
And though we pass them by today,
Tomorrow we may come this way
And take the hidden paths that run
Towards the moon or to the sun....
These lines come from a poem by J.R.R.
Tolkien, "Upon the Hearth the Fire is Red." It's one of 366 works in
a book that aims to be a long-term bedside companion.
Bedtime rituals help children as well as adults cross the border from
waking to sleep. Reading--or being read to--is high on the list of bedtime
activities favored by all ages. Preschool children often demand to hear
the same story night after night. Older ones may find comfort in returning
to this familiar book, yet still enjoy hearing something new each night.
That's a bonus for weary parents, too.
This book contains poems for every day of the year--even a leap year.
Most focus on some aspect of sleep, dreaming, or waking up. Some are
classics by well-known writers. These include Eugene Field's "Winken,
Blynken, and Nod," William Miller's "Willie Winkie," Edward Lear's "The
Owl and the Pussycat," Emily Dickinson's "Will There Really Be a Morning?,"
Robert Louis Stevenson's "My Shadow," and Robert Frost's "Stopping By
Woods on a Snowy Evening."
The majority of the poems are by less well known or anonymous authors.
The compilers include about two dozen of their own. They also include
some lullabies and poems for various holidays. Every page includes at
least one color illustration. The themed illustrations for the months
and the calendar format also make the book useful for talking about
seasons and numbers.
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