Just So Stories

Hardie Grant Australia

ISBN:9781761212161

Price:AU$24.99, NZ$27.99

Publisher:Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing

Charming and sweet, lovely and soothing, meaningful and like a talisman for a sleep free from worries and frets. This is just a delight from start to finish and will easily become a favourite for any family’s regular bedtime.

There’s a gentle rhythm to the text that has the feel of lullaby, and it goes without saying that Jess Racklyeft’s illustrations are always superior, and in this instance, with a very calming feel to them.

It will encourage children to reflect on their day, both the happy and the sad, or the wrong and the right and celebrate the wondrous things and let go of the problems. It will also encourage them to be strong, and to not ignore the things that go badly but to recognise them and leave them behind, ready for a new day ‘with no mistakes in it’ as Anne would say. And at the same time it will give them pause for thought to be grateful for all the marvels in their life and to be ready for more to come.

I love the part about ‘taking three deep breaths and let it all subside‘ – it’s the start of a meditation habit that is always worth cultivating in no matter how simple a format. And, as you might guess, it ends simply with the child being tucked in and a “I love you”. All in all this is a gem of a book that will make a beautiful gift or is one to share with a special little human in your life. But I can also see it being used with a class as you could turn the conversation to reflecting on their day before they go to sleep each night and how they might achieve that. It’s a soporific 5 🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️ for readers I would suggest from around 4 years old to 6/7.

Before you close your eyes tonight
and drift off into sleep,
there are some things that you should know –
some thoughts for you to keep …