Friday, October 26, 2007

Review: The Book of ZZZs by Arlene Alda

Book: The Book of ZZZs
Author: Arlene Alda
Published: 2005

Some people sleep during the day. Some people sleep at night. Some people sleep late in a pile of blankets, and some take afternoon naps in a hammock. This book was made for bedtime or naptime lulling, even for the stubborn kids that refuse to close their eyes no matter what you do. They’ll get so intrigued by the flamingo, sleeping one-legged, and the twin infants (one sound asleep, one clearly fighting it) that the urge to copy the subjects of the photos will sneak up on them before they know it.

Arlene Alda (wife of actor Alan) uses photographs that feature human and animal sleepers of all ages to accompany simple, almost lullabyish prose. Not only kittens and puppies, but also flamingos, meerkats, a toddler on Daddy's shoulders, and grown-ups in hammocks populate these pages. My personal favorite was the cover shot which featured a baby seal, his chin propped up on a smooth boulder as he snored away. Everyone looks so comfortable that it tempted me to lay my head down and catch a few winks myself. Pick this up the next time you need a bedtime story for all ages.

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