"Nasla wants to sing,
but at night, you do not sing.
At night, you sleep.
But what if the yellow dot
grows and grows? What if
it becomes big enough to
swallow her whole?"
It's hard growing up. Nasla is determined to show her independence by asking her father to remove the many 'stuffies' from their place on her bed to the top of the bureau in her bedroom. She will be fine without them now. Still, she is a bit concerned about the yellow eye that is peering down at her in the darkness of her nighttime bedroom. She wonders which of her old pals it is.
Nasla knows that bedtime is not the time for getting up to check it out, or for wanting to return to some of the comforts she has felt previously; it is time for sleeping. It is no surprise to discover she has a secret good-luck charm. Her old baby blamket provides the comfort she needs to sleep.
She drifts off into a series disturbing dreams about her old toys. Should she be worried about that glowing spot she can see? When the family cat jumps down and blinks its eye, Nasla is fully asleep and unaware.
The author always brings her audience back to concerns Nasla is feeling about the yellow dot. Simone Rea cleverly matches the dream illustrations to Nasla's very real concerns. Kids do have fears in the night. This story allows that there is nothing to worry about when a familiar figure is the reason for concern. It does leave readers with a question: is Nasla old enough to give up on what helps her feel secure at bedtime?
No comments:
Post a Comment