A Bed of Stars

A perfect bedtime book for the young rambler in your life who is feeling a little overwhelmed.

When the child confesses to being frightened by “how big the universe is and how it goes on forever and ever,” Dad knows just what to say. . . . It’s a gem of a moment, an example of the way a parent can hear and transform a child’s fear. . . . Mom shares another surprise in this tender story about learning to approach that which feels unknown.

At breakfast, our protagonist’s father announces that they are going camping in the desert. Why? “To shake hands with the universe,” says Dad. . . . It’s a heavy contemplation of the very nature of being, and yet Love makes it entirely kid-friendly. A gentle specificity easily merges the conceptual with the corporeal. . . . Young listeners who tend to be more introspective than rambunctious will appreciate this soothing rumination on the nature of existence and the accepting of the unknowable.

Love (Julián Is a Mermaid, 2018) offers up a relatable, young protagonist seeking security and safety in the surrounding world. The watercolor, gouache, and ink illustrations privilege evening blues and desert earth tones that are enlivened by splashes of pink and green depicting flora, sunrises and sunsets, and clothing. . . A reassuring look at our place in the universe.

Under the desert night sky, Dad helps his child find cosmic comfort. . . . A lovely vision for small, sensitive existentialists.

Love’s watercolor, gouache, and ink illustrations include both factual information (the steps to build a fire) and warm, loving scenes of the father and child together. . . . The desire for one-on-one attention from a parent is one many children will relate to.