Where Do I Sleep
Book Award
Publisher’s Weekly
First-timers Blomgren and Gabriel team up for a tranquil bedtime poem that highlights animals of the Pacific Northwest. A series of pliant stanzas examines the sleeping habits of a dozen and a half different creatures, from sea otters and bald eagles to moose, gray whales and even anemone (“Where do I sleep? In a soft, grass-lined nest,/ Where tender spring boughs hide the place that I rest,” says the Hermit Thrush”). The book ends with a child at bedtime (“Where do I sleep? In a bunk bed down low”), whose toy versions of the animals mentioned populate his top bunk. Buoyed by the repetitive refrain of “Where do I sleep?” and lovely imagery (a Gray Wolf pup sleeps on “a pillow of grass”; a Water Dipper sleeps where the rocks are “worn smooth as an old satin slipper”), Blomgren’s verses go down smoothly, while oversize pages offer an expansive canvas for Gabriel’s accomplished pastels. Hewing to a nature-inspired palette of soft greens, browns and blues, she employs deft line strokes and shading to suggest fur, feathers, fins and blades of grass. The selection of animals may be of particular regional interest, but this appealing collaboration deserves a wide audience. Ages 2-6.
School Library Journal
On page after page, a variety of creatures asks the question posed in the title. The answers follow with a description of cliff sides, dens, grass-lined nests, streams, and mountainsides. The illustrations in soft pastels are the perfect accompaniment for this gentle text about the animals of the Pacific Northwest. Each illustration fills the entire page or spread and depicts a watchful, protective adult and offspring in a sleepy pose. The soft greens, gentle blues, and cozy browns will make children want to reach out and “pet” the book. The simple text is reminiscent of Margaret Wise Brown’s early work or the soothing, restful words of Reeve Lindbergh’s Midnight Farm (Puffin, 1995). This book could be used in a bedtime storytime, for any quiet time, or for a patterned writing exercise. Young readers and reading buddies will want to return to it again and again. Adults will welcome a book designed to produce calm.
Seattle’s Child
Local author Jennifer Blomgren and illustrator Andrea Gabriel set the perfect bedtime tone for your wild ones with Where Do I Sleep? A Pacific Northwest Lullaby. Beautiful illustrations and a melodic lullaby follow Pacific Northwest critters as they prepare for bed each night.