Good Night, Good Night, written by Dennis Lee and illustrated by Qin Leng. Harper. 2018. $12.99 ages 2 and up

"Cool Pillow 

Pillow, cool pillow,
Come snuggle with me,,
Drift me to sleep
Where I'm longing to be;

Birds in the nest
and the nest in the tree -
So, pillow, cool pillow,
Come snuggle with me."

We read Dennis Lee's poetry night after night in our family. Our kids were born in 1976 and 1978. The six poems included in this lovely board book were originally published in books between 1977 and 2000. I loved the familiarity as soon as I opened it. There are poems I recognize and remember well from our family reading times.

Each focuses on bedtime and will hopefully lull little ones to peaceful, restorative sleep. The poems included begin with Cuddle a Bug. 

"Cuddle a bug in a blanket,
Cuddle a bug in a rug.
Cuddle a bug in her own little bed,
Till she's snug in a big bug-hug."

The rest follow, quietly bringing their stories to listeners.

Qin Leng, whose charming watercolor artwork I very much admire, creates a story to run from poem to poem. She begins with a little boy, and follows him as he makes his way from cuddling a bug to finding a pillow, from meeting a friend in her playhouse to joining a bevy of bears making their way to her treetop residence. Then, they all go to watch the moon as it drifts slowly across the sky and shines its light on a cozy hammock and its occupant ... an invitation for all to find the perfect spot for tucking up and succumbing to slumber.

What a splendid way to link six stand alone poems!