Good Night, Little Sea Otter by Janet Halfmann [Book Review and Giveaway] plus a Sea Otter Craft

Getting the kids to bed on time sometimes seems like an impossible task. By the time we eat, finish with the baths, brush teeth and read a few books, it's already time for bed. Then the creative delays begin. "I need a drink of water. I need to say good night to the cat." Both kids have even tried to hide their blankies in an attempt to postpone bedtime. We're pretty firm parents and stall tactics don't work long here, but the minutes still add up and invariably time sneaks by. Author Janet Halfmann, with four kids and four grandkids, knows about all the bedtime tricks. In her newest book, a cute little sea otter tries to delay his bedtime, but eventually he drifts off to sleep.

Good Night, Little Sea Otter by Janet Halfmann, illustrated by Wish Williams. Star Bright Books (September 2010); ISBN 9781595722546; 32 pages
Book Source: Review copy from publisher

"Then it was bedtime, but Little Sea Otter wasn't ready to sleep."

Against a colorful sunset sky, Little Sea Otter and his mama prepare for bedtime. But before he falls asleep, Little Sea Otter must say goodnight to all the creatures above and below the ocean. First he speaks to the harbor seals, sea lions and a seagull and then he dips his head below water and wishes fish, sea urchins and others a good night. As the stars twinkle above and the sea sings a soft lullaby, Little Sea Otter says his final "Good Night" while his mom wraps them both in ribbons of kelp, anchoring them safely for the evening.

Reading this gentle and sweet story to a child is the perfect way to end the day. Little Sea Otter's pleasant waves of goodbyes, one after one, will relax and comfort readers like the murmur of sea waves. Wish Williams surrounds Little Sea Otter in a dreamy rainbow of sea colors. At one point, kids get a chance to point out orange, yellow and purple fish. His illustrations provide a lovely backdrop for the story. The beautiful sunset sky gradually darkens and eventually stars appear. The sea looks quiet and calm. I especially love that Janet Halfmann briefly mentions how Sea otters use kelp as anchors while sleeping. The brief educational moments paired with images of the adorable mama and baby sea otter make this a worthwhile and enjoyable bedtime read perfect for toddlers to early elementary-aged children.

Related Links:
Janet Halfmann - Author Website
Sea Otter Facts, Video and Sound on Defenders.org




♈ ♈ ♈ ♈ Sea Otter and Kelp Craft ♈ ♈ ♈ ♈
Earth Day is a good time to consider the consequences of our daily actions and to learn about ways we can live greener so that we can lessen pollution, including the pollution in our oceans, lakes and waterways. Did you realize that sea otters are a federally listed threatened species? Heavy hunting almost wiped out the species and now their health is threatened by various illnesses possibly caused by ocean contaminants. Defenders.org organizes a Sea Otter Awareness Week every year in September. We used the Sea Otter - Fact Sheet and Coloring Page from Defenders of Wildlife in today's Sea Otter and Kelp Craft.

I thought we'd repurpose a small piece of bubble wrap by using it for a craft. I've been meaning to make bubble wrap prints with my kids for a while now. The bubble wrap print makes a nice ocean background. To make a print my son painted a piece of bubble wrap and then pressed a piece of paper on top of the paint. After the ocean print dried, he colored a picture of a sea otter, added some google eyes and then he glued the picture to the ocean print. He also glued on a few tissue paper kelp leaves around the sea otter. Sea otters wrap themselves in kelp when resting to keep from drifting away.





A Mommy's Adventures hosts the "stART" meme (Story + Art) each week. Add your kids craft post to the Kid's Get Crafty linky at Red Ted Art's Blog. Join in Read Aloud Thursday at Hope is the Word. Show off your ideas at ABC & 123 Show and Tell. Wrote a post about play? Join the It's Playtime party! Find more great book tie-ins at JDaniel4's Mom Read, Explore, Learn link-up.


Janet Halfmann and Star Bright Books have kindly offered to giveaway a signed copy of Good Night, Little Sea Otter.

To enter this contest, visit either Janet Halfmann's website or Star Bright Books and leave a comment with the name another book that you'd like to read.

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