A Bed-Time Story For Any-Time Reading (Peace At Last - Jill Murphy)

Member Name: zoe_page_1

Product:	Peace At Last - Jill Murphy
Date:	15/07/03 (117 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lovely story, Wonderful characters, Lots of repetition

Disadvantages: None

Books shouldn’t just be for bedtimes. Though I had bedtime stories for many years (erm, about 10. And then some more when I was doing A Levels. Don’t ask.), we also had morning story time and lunchtime story time and afternoon story time in our house. Because books are important, but more importantly, because books are fun. Though this book is set at night, and covers sleeping and related topics, it’s an any-time-of-day book.

After a pleasant day in their world, and a nice winding down supper time, Mr and Mrs Bear and their only child Baby Bear are tucked up in bed, trying to get some sleep. Mrs Bear dozes off the second her head touches the pillow, but her incessant snoring keeps Mr Bear awake much to his dismay (and mine, since this lends absolutely no support to my “ladies *don’t* snore” stance). He gets up and heads for Baby Bear’s room, but the little one is wide awake and pretending to be a noisy aeroplane, so there’s no chance of sleeping there. He heads to the next room, and then the next, but each one is home to an item of some sort that just keeps him awake. Eventually he has to take drastic measures, and, leaving the house behind, he heads outside.

The book provides the little ones with the opportunity to join in the story, rather than just sitting there passively. The can chime in with the “drip, drip, drip” of the tap, and contribute the “tick, tock, tick, tock”s of the old, noisy clock. They can guess where Mr Bear will end up next, and laugh and laugh as his efforts to get a good night’s sleep are continually thwarted. Because there are so many different sounds – as well as the clock, we’ve a meowing cat and a t'wit-t'woo-ing owl, for example – it’s easy to make the story lively and exciting without too much effort on your part. The text is simple and repetitive throughout the book, so by the end you’ll find everyo
ne joining in with the words. "'Oh No', said Mr Bear" is a phrase often repeated with glee after a while by the children I read this too. And, because of the repetition already there, it’s not a book that’s always followed with “Again! Again!” squeals. From the person-doing-the-reading’s point of view, I’d rather read 5 different books in a row to the kids than the same book 5 times, even though I’m sometimes not allowed.

The illustrations in our big book are lovely. It’s the version that’s A4 sized, or thereabouts, and each page has bright, colourful pictures that just jump out at you, and you reading companions. For me, it’s the extra little details that make this book especially great. Though they’re bears by birth, they’re almost human by behaviour - Mrs Bear, for example, sleeps with curlers in her “hair”, and as the night goes by, the bags under Mr Bear’s eyes just grow and grow. They wear PJs, and sleep in beds. They read books and newspapers, and drink their cocoa from porcelain mugs. They’re just like your own mummy and daddy, apart from the fact that, well, they’re bears. They do need to be bears though – the story just wouldn’t have the same effect with humans in their roles. Maybe it’s the cuddly aspect of it all – bears are usually associated with bedtime anyway. Maybe it’s the fact that they’re different, but not too different. Maybe it’s simply because they’re so darn cute, you can’t help but like them, and sympathize with poor Mr Bear throughout his nighttime adventures.

Overall it’s a charming book for children from 12 months upwards, and one so enjoyed that it’s often a book they keep to read on their own once they’re able. £4.99 from Amazon UK for the normal version if you want to buy, though any good library will have a copy to two –
it was published in 1980, so they’ve had more than enough time to stock up. Smaller and larger sorts (perfect for holding up and reading aloud to a group of kids) are also available.

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