In a Blue Room

"Alice is wide, wide awake. She can't fall asleep unless her room is blue through and through.

Mama does all she can to help. But in the end, Alice sorts out her bedtime troubles...in a most celestial way."

I joke that we have more books on our shelves than the public library, but we are always looking for interesting and captivating stories to read to our children. We had the pleasure of reading a wonderful new story at bedtime last night.

In a Blue Room is a just-published children's picture book written by Jim Averbeck and illustrated by Tricia Tusa. This is Averbeck's first published children's book. (Little Spoon-Ears is also forthcoming by Averbeck.)

The story is of Alice, who could be your daughter or mine, at bedtime as she settles down for the night. You see, Alice's favorite color is blue and she can't possibly drift to sleep until her room is blue.

All of us parents can identify. Children thrive on the familiarity and comfort that their bedrooms, their sanctuaries really, and nightly routine can bring. Our daughter props a large pillow next to hers, just like mommy or just like daddy likes it, and then tucks her pony under her chin to listen to her bedtime stories. Averbeck has captured the sweetness of how children settle down and drift to sleep.

Tusa's illustrations have a dreamy quality, befitting the story. She subtly shows the duality between the adult world and the imaginative world of children: in Alice's world, the illustrations flow across pages. (I can't possibly explain this properly, you need to read the book to see.)

My favorite illustration accompanies:

"In a blue room, lilacs and lilywhites give off a gentle scent. Alice twirls around, plops down, and breathes deep."

My daughter's favorite illustrations are of the blue moon. She said in awe, "Oooh, everything is blue now."

In a Blue Room is published by Harcourt and is widely available in local books stores and online and is recommended for ages 3 to 7.

(Image courtesy Harcourt, Inc.)

WIN IT: We have one copy of In a Blue Room to award to a lucky reader of The Full Mommy (retail value $16). To enter, send an e-mail to winfullmommy (at) gmail (dot) com with "Blue Room" in the subject line, by June 16, 2008. If you've already read this book, let us know what you think in the comment section below. Winners will be notified by e-mail and announced on Prizey Winners. See our Tips For Winning for further entry information.

(This was written by Leeanthro who can be read at Soy is the New Black where she dishes about family, food, foraging, and frivolity. While many of the products she discusses are sold only through boutique or specialty stores, some are widely available at national stores and online.)