These lovely bedtime stories are all written and illustrated by Philip and Erin Stead. They live in a 100-year old barn in the US with their dog, and every book they release sells itself, they are that popular. They write books alone, with others, or together. These combine wonderful stories that convey a love of nature and animals, with gorgeous illustrations. See what you think:
- Samson in the Snow is the tale of a large friendly woolly mammoth, who encounters a little red bird; looking for yellow flowers for her mouse friend. As she flies off, Samson wonders what it must be like to have a friend. He wonders this for so long, that he falls asleep – and wakes up covered in snow. In the midst of a blizzard, Samson finds and shelters the little red bird and flower-loving mouse, in a tale of unexpected friendship.
- Bear Has a Story To Tell and would like his friends to listen. So he finds his friend Mouse (but Mouse was busy gathering seeds, with no time to listen). Bear saw his friend Duck (but Duck was getting ready to fly South). What about his friend Toad? He was looking for a warm place to sleep. By the time Bear was through helping his friends to get ready for winter – would anyone be awake to hear his story?
- A Home for Bird is a nice story, with a surprising twist in the sale. Vernon the toad is out foraging for interesting things, when he comes across a small blue bird. He tries to talk, but Bird says nothing. He introduces him to his friends and takes him places, but Bird still says nothing. ‘Bird is shy’, thinks Toad, ‘but a very good listener’.
- Hello, My Name is Ruby is the story of a very small bird in a very big world, who is looking for a friend. So she introduces herself to everyone she knows, including some very big birds!
- All the Animals Where I Live introduces the author who used to live in the city with buses and trains, or people waiting for buses and trains. Now he lives in the country and takes us on a tour of his home, including the animals that share his space.
