While You Sleep
What’s inside...
While You Sleep is a captivating story that follows the journey of a young protagonist through a series of dreamlike adventures, blending fantasy and reality. The narrative uses breathtaking collage art and exquisite rhyming couplets to depict fantastical dreams as the natural world is prepared for a new day. Night-helper bunnies work magic to tidy and polish the world, painting flowers and charging rainbows. Miki Sato’s art combines paper, textiles, and embroidery silk to create a three-dimensional dream world, while Jennifer Maruno’s soothing rhyming couplets celebrate nature’s beauty, making it a perfect bedtime selection for vibrant, colorful dreams.
Series reading
Non-Sequential
Age
2-5
Length
24 pages
Text complexity
Discussion points
How do you think the characters felt when they were dreaming?
What kind of dreams do you think you would have in the world of While You Sleep?
Can you imagine a new character that might appear in the story? What role would they play?
What part of the book was the most surprising to you and why?
If you could change one thing in the story, what would it be and why?
Tip: Role play these questions
Encourage your child to describe their dreams and compare them with the dreams in the book to foster connections with the characters.
Use expressive tones and voices while reading aloud to make the story's setting and atmosphere come alive.
Invite your child to draw a scene from their favorite dream in the book, which can help in discussing and reinforcing the story's themes.
Pause at suspenseful moments in the book to ask your child what they think might happen next, encouraging predictive thinking.
Discuss the emotions of the characters at different points in the book, helping your child to develop empathy and emotional understanding.
Key lessons
Example Lesson: Importance of patience
Explanation: In 'While You Sleep', the nocturnal activities of animals are depicted, showing how nature works patiently through the night. This illustrates the concept of patience to young readers.
Real-World Application: Children can learn to wait calmly for outcomes, like waiting for a plant to grow from a seed, which teaches them the value of patience in achieving results.
Example Lesson: Understanding of nature's cycles
Explanation: The book explores the different animals and their nighttime behaviors, giving children an insight into biological rhythms and cycles in nature.
Real-World Application: Kids can apply this knowledge in their daily life by understanding and respecting the natural processes and cycles around them, such as day and night.
Example Lesson: Empathy towards animals
Explanation: By showcasing various animals and their night-time routines, the story encourages children to think about the lives of animals and fosters a sense of empathy.
Real-World Application: This lesson helps children treat animals with kindness and consideration, recognizing them as living beings with needs and feelings.
Example Lesson: Value of teamwork
Explanation: The story demonstrates animals working together during the night, like ants working as a team, which underscores the importance of cooperation.
Real-World Application: Children learn the significance of teamwork and collaboration, whether in family tasks, group projects, or playing sports with friends.
Example Lesson: Cultivating curiosity
Explanation: The book provokes curiosity about what happens in the natural world when humans are asleep, encouraging a quest for knowledge.
Real-World Application: Children are inspired to explore and ask questions about the world around them, enhancing their learning and understanding.