From sunup to sweet dreams, this collection of Robert Heidbreder's lively short poems follows young children throughout their day, celebrating all of the seemingly small, but potentially special, moments they experience. To name just a few, there are poems about hugging a dog and climbing a tree, getting dressed and playing tag. Each one of the thirty poems is easy to remember, rhythmic and action-filled, and each reflects a child's-eye view of both the activity and how it makes them feel. For example, on teeth brushing: “Bristle-thistle. Toothy rub. Chompers get a sun-up scrub. Smile!” Or going to bed: “Slip-in slide. Pillow pile. Stuffies near. Day-done smile. Ahhhhh!” Most of the poems are written and illustrated on their own page, with a few poems covering two-page spreads. Lori Joy Smith's simple artwork, in pleasing colors and filled with playful children, is cheerful, fresh and contemporary, and will have enormous appeal to young children. This book would be a natural fit for National Poetry Month in April. But the poems are so happy and engaging, they could easily begin any day in the classroom as a delightful read-aloud, or even as a tool for dramatizations. The fun rhymes are sure to get young minds engaged in the wonderful world of words, making them excited about language, reading and poetry. And emphasizing the importance of the regular routines of their days, starting and ending in bed, offers the potential for beginning to understand their place in their families and the larger community around them.

Robert Heidbreder was born in Illinois but now lives in British Columbia. He has enchanted children with his joyful poems and rhymes for more than two decades. A former elementary school teacher (and winner of the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence), he believes that children's love of silly and absurd combinations of words makes them natural poets. His books include Eenie Meenie Manitoba, Don't Eat Spiders, I Wished for a Unicorn, Drumheller Dinosaur Dance, Python Play, See Saw Saskatchewan, Crocodiles Say, A Sea-Wishing Day, Lickety-Split, Crocodiles Play, Shake-Awakes, Noisy Poems for a Busy Day, Black and Bittern Was Night and Song for a Summer Night.

Robert Heidbreder's profile page

Lori Joy Smith est illustratrice et artiste. Ses oeuvres ont été exposées dans plusieurs galeries d'art à travers le Canada et les États-Unis tandis que ses illustrations ont paru sur des cartes de souhaits et dans les revues Chirp, American Girl, Teen et Today's Parent. Lori aime faire du tricot, dessiner et coudre. Elle habite à Charlottetown à l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard.

Lori Joy Smith is an illustrator and fine artist whose work has been exhibited in galleries across Canada and the United States. Her illustrations have appeared on greeting cards and in Chirp, American Girl, Teen and Today's Parent magazines, among other places. Lori enjoys knitting, drawing and sewing. She lives with her family in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

Lori Joy Smith's profile page

• Long-listed, Best Bets, Nonfiction, Ontario Library Association

... the child is front and centre, the poems purpose-built for kids and the adults who read to them.—Quill & Quire

... a warm portrait of suburban daily life ...—Kirkus Reviews

Heidbreder knows his audience and how to prompt a gush of giggles and tickles from young children ... This is a well-conceived and executed book ...—School Library Journal

... an accessible and entertaining collection for preschoolers.—Publishers Weekly