Global Baby Bedtimes
Maya Ajmera, author
Maya Ajmera is the Chief Executive Officer and President of the Society for Science and the Public as well as Publisher of its award-winning magazine, Science News. She is also the founder of The Global Fund for Children, one of the largest networks of grassroots organizations working on behalf of vulnerable children. Maya is the author of Global Baby Boys and Global Baby Bedtimes and the co-author of more than fifteen books, including To Be a Kid, Children from Australia to Zimbabwe, Faith, and Music Everywhere!
Read more about Maya Ajmera.
- CCBC Choices
- Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Best Books for Babies
Kirkus Reviews, starred review
The universality of the most basic human need—sleep—is touchingly illustrated with ahh-inspiring photos. Each page shows a sleeping infant embraced protectively by a loving parent, nestled in a crib, or held close in a fabric carrier. The country of origin is noted in text curved around each sleeping child's head. Love and care are constant across cultures. The photo from Guatemala, of a little girl asleep amid bananas in a market, mildly hints at the poverty of the region, but even in this instance the baby looks clean, content, and cared for. Several of the children are dressed in colorful, culturally specific clothing—the Chinese baby wears a Mongolian-style hat, blue batik wraps the baby from Panama, and the infant from the Ivory Coast is wrapped in orange, red, and black fabric. Still, the differences are subtle. In reality, these babies could be seen in any American city. Readers are left with the impression that all these babies are part of one human family, although, appropriately, this is never stated directly. The one simple sentence of text starts out, "Babies everywhere / go to sleep," and ends with the worldwide wish, "Sweet dreams!" Sweet, tender, and positive; perfect for sharing with the newest world citizens.
School Library Journal
As any parent can attest, infants are fascinated by certain kinds of objects and patterns—but nothing holds their gaze as much as the human face. In a series of lovingly photographed images, babies from around the world are shown, napping, yawning, and deeply slumbering. Sing a soft lullaby while turning these pages to encourage sweet dreams.
Booklist
The fifth board book in the irresistible Global Babies series features exceptionally clear, colorful photos of infants who are yawning, nodding off, or sound asleep. A single line of text threads its way through the book, drawing the pictures together and providing a sense of continuity. For curious adults and older children, the baby’s country is identified on each page. Occasionally a parent, caregiver, or sibling appears in the frame, but the baby is always at the center of things and often the face is shown in close-up. Captivating and soporific, this is a fine bedtime book for little ones and their sleep-deprived parents.
Board Book
ISBN: 978-1-58089-708-2
Ages: 0-3
Page count: 16
6 x 6