The Bedtime Rhyme

“In a series of rhymes, Wangerin (Probity Jones and the Fear Not Angel) dispels a child’s fear of the dark by teaching the lessons of God’s love and presence. As the rhymes begin, a mother responds to her son’s question: “How much do I love you? / Lay down your head, / My gingerbread, / And listen: I’ll tell you.” She elaborates by telling him that if robbers should come into the room, “I’d clobber those robbers / Until they slobbered / And all their teeth decayed.” If her son is threatened by monsters, “I’d grab my reaper, / My vacuum sweeper, / And suck those monsters down!” After she reassures him that she will protect him against all things, the mother then tells her son, “Here in your room / All night while you’re sleeping, / Kinder and wiser / And best for safekeeping / Is God.” Huang’s illustrations capture the wildness of the child’s imagination and provide just the right background for Wangerin’s humorous rhymes. Ages 5-8.”

Walter Wangerin Jr. is a nationally known storyteller and the bestselling author of books for children and adults, including In the Beginning There was No Sky, Probity Jones and the Fear Not Angel, and The Book of God. Wangerin lives in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Benrei Huang has illustrated more than 25 books for children , including What Can a Giant Do?, One Hundred is a Family, and Mr. Pak Bags a Story. Her books have been listed among "best children's books" by the L.A. Times Book Review and included on the " American Booksellers Pick of the List.;' She lives with her husband and young son in New York City.