Beasts at Bedtime is a very interesting, imaginative and almost magical book, that illustrates the themed wealth of children’s stories. It recognises that many of the great stories for children feature animals and it is written for all those who imagine that children also see themselves as magnificent creatures.
There is a great deal of environmental information in many of the publications that children love reading, and this beautifully written short-chaptered book is designed to reveal just how ecologically sophisticated children’s stories can be, and how it can help parents, teachers etc. to develop their child’s environmental understanding. The stimulating stories profiled in this book inspire, inform and teach lessons about life, so if you at all care about the future of our planet, it is well worth a read.
The author does not try to teach the do’s and don’t’s of reading children’s literature, but he simply points out the importance of raising awareness of environmental themes and issues.
The book is a one-off, it is highly relevant, extremely enjoyable to read, and I thoroughly recommend it.
Reviewed by Gabrielle Back
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Beasts at Bedtime: Revealing the Environmental Wisdom in Children’s Literature. Liam Heneghan (2018).
Chicago: J Wiley & Son Ltd/ University of Chicago Press.Hardback pp358. ISBN 978-0226431383. £20.50.