l to r: Sarabeth Holden and Emma Pedersen

Convincing children to get ready for bed can be an adventure on its own, but the mother in Sea Snooze – also our narrator – is halfway there when the book begins. This richly illustrated picture book, written by Sarabeth Holden and illustrated by Emma Pedersen, opens on a cozy bedroom scene with one child tucked into bed and another perched on the end of the bed, their trusty seagull by their side. Their mother sits on the floor holding a book, ready to guide the children as they drift off to sleep. She begins:

All aboard our little boat!
We’ll sail all night. Let’s see where we float!

This rhyming couplet kicks off the children’s imaginative, surreal, and occasionally turbulent journey toward dreamland. As they set sail in their bed-boat, their mother steers them through icy seas and starry skies inhabited by guillemots, seals, and belugas. The narrative eventually shifts focus from the antics of the wildlife to the promise of the next day, and the children are gently rocked to sleep by the sea, the sky, and their mother’s voice.

Illustration: Emma Pedersen.

Holden has written a charming story. While the rhymes occasionally stumble, the story cleverly aligns with the natural rhythms of a child’s bedtime. Steeped in action and adventure at the beginning, the story is designed to immediately capture a child’s attention and imagination. As the narrative continues, the action slows and the seas calm, encouraging readers to do the same. Holden also includes an opportunity to learn a couple of new Inuktitut words: Atii! (Let’s go!) and kunik (a type of kiss).

Pedersen’s soft illustrations are perfect for this gentle bedtime book. Her dynamic line-work and composition capture the movement of the characters and their surroundings, and her use of light lends the whole story a warm, cozy glow. She also does a brilliant job capturing the expressions of the story’s young adventurers. This is a sweet book that’s perfect for drowsy dreamers.