My Bed: Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep Around the World by Rebecca Bond and illustrated by Salley Mavor

I love My Bed!

I mean this new book for children, although I do also love my own bed. I have an extra deep mattress and sleep snuggled under my handmade quilts. But not everyone in the world has a bed like mine. 

Rebecca Bond and Salley Mavor have created a marvelous book about the many ways children across the world go to bed. As a girl I loved learning about costumes and flags of the world. The brilliance of My Bed is how it illustrates material and cultural differences through how children go to sleep.

Mavor has created handmade embellished fiber scenes, exquisite in detail. It took her several years to create the art for this book. You will study each one for a long time. I know my son loved to talk about the details of the art in his children's books. I can imagine the discussions that will arise from My Bed.

"My bed rocks on the water," we are told about the Netherlands where some children live on houseboats. (I am jealous!) "My bed sways in the breeze," we are told about South and Central American children who sleep in hammocks.

We see an Indian child with their nets to protect against mosquitos, the alcove beds of Norway, the open air beds of Ghana, Russian beds on the large stoves. Children sleep in yurts and in courtyards and on rooftops.

The Afghan carpet these children sleep on is amazing. Read about how she created it here.

Children will learn how houses and beds across the world are constructed, and about the flora and animals around them. 

Each child's house is unique to its culture, and shown in context to its environment. The Japanese house shows a flowering cherry tree. See how she made this here.

On her blog Wee Folk Studio, Mavor shares how she made her art for My Bed. I am stunned by her art.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through Edelweiss. My review is fair and unbiased.

Salley Mavor in her studio

from the publisher

Delightful rhymes and charming hand-stitched art celebrate the many ways we sleep across the world. Perfect for a baby shower gift.

My bed rocks on water 

My bed sways in the breeze.

My bed’s beneath a curtain 

My bed’s aloft in trees . . .

In the Netherlands, some beds rock on water. In Brazil they might sway in the breeze. From Canada to Japan, Afghanistan to Norway, sleep has taken many forms and shapes throughout history. Astonishing, hand-stitched illustrations and a delightful narrative tell the story of sleeping traditions across the world.

My Bed
Rebecca Bond, Salley Mavor (Illustrated by)
HMH Books for Young Readers
Ages 4 to 7, Grades P to 3
On Sale Date: September 8, 2020
ISBN 9780544949065, 0544949064
Hardcover $18.99 USD, $26.99 CAD