Lisa Dick is a New Zealand author, journalist and editor who has worked across print, radio and TV news. This is her first picture book though she caught my attention with a beautifully reflective piece in a medical journal called Corpus. The article, titled 499 Beads covered her son’s leukaemia journey from age 6 to 9. Each coloured bead was a physical reminder of treatments he had, such as blood transfusions, chemotherapy sessions and stays in hospital.
The Baby Sleeps is a calm and simple bedtime read for 1- to 5-year-olds, with a reassurance to the child that they are loved and cared for. Laura Bee has used a bright but friendly colour palette to fill each page. From the progressive zooming out from the park to the city, island, star filled sky and planet, to a closeup view of baby waking, the simple text is cradled in this visual narrative.
Father takes his sleeping baby for a stroll. She is unaware of the trees, traffic and city bustle. Nor does she know[i] she is on an island, and a planet surrounded by a star filled sky. But when she wakes… what does she need or want.? Not the stars, or sky, nor the city buildings and cars. She just wants…your hug. The zooming out to the planets and back to familiar grounds is a beautiful metaphor that reminds me of the saying “I love you to the moon and back”, though the use of “your hug” at the very end, caused me to pause. It is no longer the voice of a reader to a child but that of a father to his child.
The simple at times rhyming text is made up of less than 100 words and includes the soothing repetitive lines the baby sleeps. The clever illustrations after the baby wakes are from the baby’s point of view, showing a small hand with a toy, or foot with striped socks against a city or skyscape.
The book is easy to read and comforting but the concept of our blue spinning planet and an island in an ocean may require some discussion with our very younger readers.
