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A Bedtime Yarn
Like a well-worn, snuggly blanket, this sweet bedtime story about a little bear who's afraid of the dark and his mother's creative solution will warm and comfort readers big and small.
Frankie is a little bear who has a hard time falling asleep. The dark is scary, and he hates to be alone. So his mother gives him a ball of yarn to hold when he goes to bed, and she keeps the other end in the next room, working it into a surprise for Frankie.
Every few nights the yarn color changes, and Frankie dreams in all the colors that he and his mother pick out. One night he's swimming in turquoise water, another night he's in a cool gray fog. He plays with a marmalade kitten and eats delicious chocolate cake. Eventually Frankie and his mother create something special--and Frankie learns that he's always connected to those he loves, even when he's alone in the dark.
A beautiful story of love and crafting, A Bedtime Yarn will appeal to knitters, sleepy little bears and any parents dealing with their child's fear of the dark.
Frankie is a little bear who has a hard time falling asleep. The dark is scary, and he hates to be alone. So his mother gives him a ball of yarn to hold when he goes to bed, and she keeps the other end in the next room, working it into a surprise for Frankie.
Every few nights the yarn color changes, and Frankie dreams in all the colors that he and his mother pick out. One night he's swimming in turquoise water, another night he's in a cool gray fog. He plays with a marmalade kitten and eats delicious chocolate cake. Eventually Frankie and his mother create something special--and Frankie learns that he's always connected to those he loves, even when he's alone in the dark.
A beautiful story of love and crafting, A Bedtime Yarn will appeal to knitters, sleepy little bears and any parents dealing with their child's fear of the dark.
32 pages, Hardcover
Published September 26, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
November 7, 2017
Adorable.
Such a cute and delightful bedtime story!
The illustrations were beautiful and colorful.
I loved to read about the connection between the little bear "Frankie" and his mother, and the yarn dreams were vivid and imaginative.
I read it to my 5-year-old sister, and she loved it so much! I definitely need to add this one to her picture book collection.
*Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Such a cute and delightful bedtime story!
The illustrations were beautiful and colorful.
I loved to read about the connection between the little bear "Frankie" and his mother, and the yarn dreams were vivid and imaginative.
I read it to my 5-year-old sister, and she loved it so much! I definitely need to add this one to her picture book collection.
*Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review*
May 22, 2017
A BEDTIME YARN by Nicola Winstanley and illustrated by Olivia Chin Mueller published by Penguin Random House Canada will be released on September 26, 2017.
I love this beautiful hardcover book that tells the story of Frankie, a little bear, going to sleep every night while holding a ball of yarn attached to his mother's knitting. Over time Frankie held many different colours of yarn while his mother knitted and every colour had a story. When he was old enough to sleep without holding the yarn, he discovered what his mother had been knitting.
If you like WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE by Maurice Sendak, then you should love A BEDTIME YARN by Nicola Winstanley with colourful pages!
I highly recommend this book for libraries and parents to read to young children.
This book deserves 5 shining stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an providing me with a digital ARC of A BEDTIME YARN.
I love this beautiful hardcover book that tells the story of Frankie, a little bear, going to sleep every night while holding a ball of yarn attached to his mother's knitting. Over time Frankie held many different colours of yarn while his mother knitted and every colour had a story. When he was old enough to sleep without holding the yarn, he discovered what his mother had been knitting.
If you like WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE by Maurice Sendak, then you should love A BEDTIME YARN by Nicola Winstanley with colourful pages!
I highly recommend this book for libraries and parents to read to young children.
This book deserves 5 shining stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an providing me with a digital ARC of A BEDTIME YARN.
May 23, 2017
I received this ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.
Bear struggles to sleep at night. It's dark and he is scared. To help him, his mother gives him one end of a piece of yarn and she has the other end. Each night the colors change and so do his dreams. Each color offers a different dream. In the end, his mother has been creating a gift that will allow him to sleep a little better each night. Great concept, cute story, and a wonderful idea.
Bear struggles to sleep at night. It's dark and he is scared. To help him, his mother gives him one end of a piece of yarn and she has the other end. Each night the colors change and so do his dreams. Each color offers a different dream. In the end, his mother has been creating a gift that will allow him to sleep a little better each night. Great concept, cute story, and a wonderful idea.
August 8, 2017
A Bedtime Yarn by Nicola Winstanley. Illustrated by Olivia Chin Mueller. A quintessential bedtime story with wonderful art and color in this cozy and endearing dreamtime adventure about a growing bear and the comfort his wise mother bear provides him in a very unique way. Especially likable is the young bear, his colorful dreams and the family’s wide-eyed kitty. Sweet. Highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada and Tundra Books for providing this ebook for review.
April 18, 2017
4.5 stars.
So. Sweet.
Frankie is afraid of falling asleep and dreaming, without a ball of yarn in his paws. His mother knits from the ball while he sleeps, dreaming up vivid dreams inspired by the color of the yarn that night. Although he wants to see what his mum is making, she won't let him see it until he can sleep without the yarn. When Frankie finally feels he's ready to sleep without the yarn, he wakes up to a big knitted surprise--
This is a very sweet story for kids who are afraid of the dark, dreams, or generally insecure. It encourages them be brave and overcome their fear while encouraging an open dialogue between kids and parents about insecurities. While it may seem counter-intuitive to replace one comforting device with another, to me, this showed kids that they could still overcome a fear, while still finding comfort and safety in something, even though they now know the fear is nothing to fear any longer.
The artwork is also gorgeous and cute. I loved the rich jewel tones throughout.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy to review!
(Cross posted on my blog.)
So. Sweet.
Frankie is afraid of falling asleep and dreaming, without a ball of yarn in his paws. His mother knits from the ball while he sleeps, dreaming up vivid dreams inspired by the color of the yarn that night. Although he wants to see what his mum is making, she won't let him see it until he can sleep without the yarn. When Frankie finally feels he's ready to sleep without the yarn, he wakes up to a big knitted surprise--
This is a very sweet story for kids who are afraid of the dark, dreams, or generally insecure. It encourages them be brave and overcome their fear while encouraging an open dialogue between kids and parents about insecurities. While it may seem counter-intuitive to replace one comforting device with another, to me, this showed kids that they could still overcome a fear, while still finding comfort and safety in something, even though they now know the fear is nothing to fear any longer.
The artwork is also gorgeous and cute. I loved the rich jewel tones throughout.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy to review!
(Cross posted on my blog.)
November 10, 2017
An arc was provided generously in exchange of an honest review via Netgalley.*
Beautifully written and illustrated. This story shows that there is nothing to fear when you are surrounded by your dearest. Sweet and perfect as a bedtime story.
Beautifully written and illustrated. This story shows that there is nothing to fear when you are surrounded by your dearest. Sweet and perfect as a bedtime story.
May 13, 2017
This book is cuteness overload and not in a cheesy way at all. You can sense the spirit of love in every page as it pours from a concerned mother bear's heart into her little cub when it's his bedtime.
Frankie does not like to go to sleep. When darkness descends and he's put into his bed that is when his fears come out to play and taunt him. He becomes scared and fights sleep every inch of the way. His wonderful Mother finds the perfect solution to ease his anxiety. She simply hands him a ball of yarn to hold. She then disappears into the next room and begins knitting away by the fire and with the cat on her lap. Click... Click... go her knitting needles. Frankie lays very still and concentrates on her clacking needles and his diminishing ball of yarn that he grasps tightly between his paws.
This ritual continues night after night and as the current ball of yarn disappears his Mother hands him a brand new coloured one. Frankie focuses on the colours which triggers his imagination to conjure up adventures of swimming in turquoise waters, being wrapped in a grey fog, playing with a marmalade kitten and gorging on delicious chocolate cake, just to name a few. He finds the colours truly inspiring and therapeutic causing his fears to lessen each night.
Whatever could his mother be creating behind his bedroom walls he wonders? Finally Frankie admits to her that he is big enough to sleep on his own which signals his mother to hand him one last ball of yarn. Will he ever find out what his sweet Mother has been crafting so diligently? Will her colourful surprise make him happy and give him proof of how much he is loved when she presents it to him? Can you guess what it might be?
This simple but very powerful story is a testament that love conquers all. It is a beautiful story that will appeal to those who knit and be perfect to share with your little one if she/he is experiencing fear of the dark at bedtime too. I highly recommend this book.
Frankie does not like to go to sleep. When darkness descends and he's put into his bed that is when his fears come out to play and taunt him. He becomes scared and fights sleep every inch of the way. His wonderful Mother finds the perfect solution to ease his anxiety. She simply hands him a ball of yarn to hold. She then disappears into the next room and begins knitting away by the fire and with the cat on her lap. Click... Click... go her knitting needles. Frankie lays very still and concentrates on her clacking needles and his diminishing ball of yarn that he grasps tightly between his paws.
This ritual continues night after night and as the current ball of yarn disappears his Mother hands him a brand new coloured one. Frankie focuses on the colours which triggers his imagination to conjure up adventures of swimming in turquoise waters, being wrapped in a grey fog, playing with a marmalade kitten and gorging on delicious chocolate cake, just to name a few. He finds the colours truly inspiring and therapeutic causing his fears to lessen each night.
Whatever could his mother be creating behind his bedroom walls he wonders? Finally Frankie admits to her that he is big enough to sleep on his own which signals his mother to hand him one last ball of yarn. Will he ever find out what his sweet Mother has been crafting so diligently? Will her colourful surprise make him happy and give him proof of how much he is loved when she presents it to him? Can you guess what it might be?
This simple but very powerful story is a testament that love conquers all. It is a beautiful story that will appeal to those who knit and be perfect to share with your little one if she/he is experiencing fear of the dark at bedtime too. I highly recommend this book.
June 30, 2017
Frankie has trouble falling asleep so his mother gives him a ball of yarn to hold as she knits in the other room. Each colorful ball is replaced and takes Frankie to a new wondrous place. When he is ready to sleep on his own, his mother reveals the beautiful quilt she has made for him. Gorgeous illustrations bring this story to life as young readers learn about colors’ and growing up. A great bedtime read aloud for children ages 3 to 7.
May 9, 2017
~Disclaimer~
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A little bear sleeps holding onto a ball of yarn every night. In the other room his mother knits with the yarn from the ball. Every night he has has dreams based on the colour of the yarn he is holding. Before he began sleeping with the yarn he had been afraid to sleep. The yarn makes him feel anchored to something. His mother hasn't shown him what he is knitting. "It will be finished when you are ready to let go of your last ball of yarn." she said. After many months Frankie became so overcome with curiosity that he told his mother he was ready to let go of the yarn. The next morning he wakes up covered with a huge blanket filled with all of the colours that he had held in his sleep. This blanket was filled with dreams and made him feel safe.
This book was so sweet. The illustrations are very cute and colourful. This book talks about children needing security items to sleep. It teaches children as well as parents that kids will get over their fears in their own time. At the same time it teaches colours. This book talks about the many dreams that you could have making it good for bedtime reading. I recommend this for young children who have a hard time sleeping at night, or any child at all. Go out and have a look at it.
5/5 ⭐
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A little bear sleeps holding onto a ball of yarn every night. In the other room his mother knits with the yarn from the ball. Every night he has has dreams based on the colour of the yarn he is holding. Before he began sleeping with the yarn he had been afraid to sleep. The yarn makes him feel anchored to something. His mother hasn't shown him what he is knitting. "It will be finished when you are ready to let go of your last ball of yarn." she said. After many months Frankie became so overcome with curiosity that he told his mother he was ready to let go of the yarn. The next morning he wakes up covered with a huge blanket filled with all of the colours that he had held in his sleep. This blanket was filled with dreams and made him feel safe.
This book was so sweet. The illustrations are very cute and colourful. This book talks about children needing security items to sleep. It teaches children as well as parents that kids will get over their fears in their own time. At the same time it teaches colours. This book talks about the many dreams that you could have making it good for bedtime reading. I recommend this for young children who have a hard time sleeping at night, or any child at all. Go out and have a look at it.
5/5 ⭐
April 21, 2017
Frankie is a little bear who is afraid to fall asleep, he thinks he will float away in his dreams. His mother comes up with a solution, she gives him a ball of yarn to hold onto when he sleeps. Mother holds the other end and knits with it. This yarn not only holds Frankie to his bed, but it keeps him connected to his mother that he loves. It also gives his dreams colour. Every couple of nights, he gets a new ball of yarn to hold and whatever colour he is holding is what he dreams about. It could be a blue body of water or an orange and black striped tiger, but he always wakes up in his bed. When he gets older he asks his mother what they have made with the yarn. She responds that he will know when he no longer needs to hold onto the yarn to sleep. This is a beautiful bedtime book. The illustrations are colourful, detailed and gorgeous to look at. This is a wonderful book to share with little ones that may be afraid to go to sleep. They can hold a favourite toy or stuffy or be covered with a favourite blanket, but they need to know that they will always be connected to those they love. A must for any family library. The publisher provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.
April 21, 2017
I read this to my girls at bedtime and they loved it saying it would give them good dreams; although the both want a ball of yarn to sleep with now.
It’s a rewarding story that will help kids who feel vulnerable about trying to fall asleep in the dark. The themes of bravery and facing their fears are really good lessons to instill early on as well as finding ways to cope. The story helped my girls open up and talk to me about what scares them.
We all loved the adorable illustrations which helped make the story even better.
I would recommend this to other caregivers to hopefully have a similar enjoyable experience with their kids that I had with mine.
It’s a rewarding story that will help kids who feel vulnerable about trying to fall asleep in the dark. The themes of bravery and facing their fears are really good lessons to instill early on as well as finding ways to cope. The story helped my girls open up and talk to me about what scares them.
We all loved the adorable illustrations which helped make the story even better.
I would recommend this to other caregivers to hopefully have a similar enjoyable experience with their kids that I had with mine.
April 26, 2017
What a gorgeous book of connection with our dreams, and our knitting together of reality. I love how this book knit together a story of dreams and overcoming unknowns.
Frankie is a sweet little Bear who holds his mother's yarn ball to feel connected to her as she knits in the living room. He imagines beautiful scenes with the vivid colors of the yarn. I was pleased that the author chose to use colors that are not basic like red, blue, green. The author used vibrant, detailed colors like "morning-sky blue."
What a treat for young readers, parents, and grandparents. I highly recommend this book and cannot wait for its publication.
Frankie is a sweet little Bear who holds his mother's yarn ball to feel connected to her as she knits in the living room. He imagines beautiful scenes with the vivid colors of the yarn. I was pleased that the author chose to use colors that are not basic like red, blue, green. The author used vibrant, detailed colors like "morning-sky blue."
What a treat for young readers, parents, and grandparents. I highly recommend this book and cannot wait for its publication.
April 22, 2017
Really sweet and simple book for reading to your little ones last thing at night. A young bear needs to hold the ball of yarn his mother is knitting with each night in order to get to sleep; every colour sends him off thinking of different things. The idea of a young child losing their comfort blanket has never been done quite like this before. The colours are lovely, the text simple, and it's all really rather charming.
April 20, 2017
This is a wonderful story about a bear and his many balls of yarn. He uses his yarn as a snuggle in bed. The color helps him have amazing dreams and know that he is always anchored, and never able to float away. This was a masterfully told story, that were kicked up further by the amazing and colorful illustrations.
May 28, 2017
I can't stop thinking about this book! It is so simple and so magical at the same time. Thank you NetGalley and Nicola Winstanley for sharing your sweet story.
Review at thttp://onceuponashelf.blogspot.com/20...
Review at thttp://onceuponashelf.blogspot.com/20...
October 24, 2017
A Bedtime Yarn is a delightful bedtime tale of comfort and a mother’s ingenuity. When young Frankie has trouble falling asleep at night, his mother devises a creative solution to help him relax and drift peacefully into dreamland. Each night Mama Bear gives Frankie her ball of wool to hold as he snuggles in his bed and she sits by the fire to knit. The click, click of her knitting needles lull him to sleep as the balls of wool slowly unravel in his paws. Each yarn color holds its own story and Frankie dreams sweet dreams of foamy green seas, ice-cold balls of snow, yellow dandelions, and marmalade kittens as Mama softly knits into the night. When Frankie announces one day that he’s a big boy now and no longer afraid of the dark, Mama Bear has one last sweet surprise in store for her little one.
Calming, soft illustrations and soothing colors throughout combine to make this a wonderful story that warms the heart and reminds us of the power of a mother’s love for her child. A Bedtime Yarn is sure to become a bedtime favorite with little bears everywhere and may even have some Mamas picking up the art of knitting to create sweet surprises for their own little bears!
Calming, soft illustrations and soothing colors throughout combine to make this a wonderful story that warms the heart and reminds us of the power of a mother’s love for her child. A Bedtime Yarn is sure to become a bedtime favorite with little bears everywhere and may even have some Mamas picking up the art of knitting to create sweet surprises for their own little bears!
August 15, 2017
As a mother of three reluctant sleepers, I can appreciate the mother bear's efforts to comfort her little one. She has a wonderful idea to let her son hold a ball of yarn she is knitting from to connect them while he falls asleep. He has beautiful dreams with vibrant colors, the same as the yarn. A Bedtime Yarn is a lovely story with gentle parenting. The illustrations add so much to the story and I adore the yarn winding around the pages.
August 21, 2017
As an ARC member for Netgalley, I got this book to review with my four year old daughter.
The story is very imaginative and an easy read. My daughter enjoyed the story and the illustrations.
I love the story of what happens with the yarn and the things that Frankie dreams about with each new ball of yarn.
Incredible story and beautifully written, I look forward to reading more from this author.
The story is very imaginative and an easy read. My daughter enjoyed the story and the illustrations.
I love the story of what happens with the yarn and the things that Frankie dreams about with each new ball of yarn.
Incredible story and beautifully written, I look forward to reading more from this author.
June 16, 2018
Age: Preschool
Frankie the bear holds a ball of yarn as he drifts off to sleep, finding comfort in the tradition. His dreams relate to the color of the ball he holds, written by Winstanley in a beautiful and soothing fashion. At the other end is his mother, knitting a surprise for Frankie when he is ready to let go of this comforting tradition.
A unique bedtime story to help comfort those afraid of the dark and being lonely.
Frankie the bear holds a ball of yarn as he drifts off to sleep, finding comfort in the tradition. His dreams relate to the color of the ball he holds, written by Winstanley in a beautiful and soothing fashion. At the other end is his mother, knitting a surprise for Frankie when he is ready to let go of this comforting tradition.
A unique bedtime story to help comfort those afraid of the dark and being lonely.
August 13, 2019
A gentle, encouraging fairy tale about Frankie, a little bear, who struggles with anxiety about falling asleep on his own. Frankie goes to sleep with a new ball of yarn every night, it allows him to feel connected to his mom while he sleeps in his own room. The colours of the yarns help to form his dreams every night, and the imagery make for lovely illustrations by Olivia Chin Mueller. This will be a nice bedtime read for kids who have insomnia.
August 29, 2020
What a wonderful story! I think almost every child could relate to being a little fearful at night. Whether they are afraid of the dark or getting lost in their sleep, all children could relate. As I read about little Frankie holding onto the yarn as he slept it reminded me of my little guy with his blankie. Except for my little guy takes that thing everywhere! The mother bear kept little Frankie anchored by being on the other end of that ball of yarn. What was she making??
October 4, 2017
*thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
4 stars.
Such a beautiful book! The illustrations are gorgeous and I love the colouring and the softness to them. The story is comforting which makes this a very good bedtime read. Its got a magical feel to it. Would definitely recommend this for little bubs.
4 stars.
Such a beautiful book! The illustrations are gorgeous and I love the colouring and the softness to them. The story is comforting which makes this a very good bedtime read. Its got a magical feel to it. Would definitely recommend this for little bubs.
July 14, 2017
ARC copy...so warm and imaginative. I did very much like the theme of the act of holding yarn balls to soothe the nerves at night akin to ship's anchor and how all the colour swirls into imaginative adventures each night for the bear. It all weaves very nicely in the end too.
December 9, 2017
oh my goodness everyone please please read this sweet and adorably heart warming story about a little bear fighting his way through scary nighttime with the help of his mother's knitting yarn. SO CUTE. 5 stars.
June 7, 2019
Sweet bedtime book for anyone who crafts & has kids. The illustrations are beautiful. My 3-yr-old loves to read this one at bedtime, nap time, any time really. She loves the colors and the yarns and tells me which yarn is her favorite.
June 2, 2017
Thank you to NetGalley for the digital copy.
This is a very sweet story with delightful illustrations. I'll be buying a copy once it's out!
This is a very sweet story with delightful illustrations. I'll be buying a copy once it's out!
July 13, 2017
I absolutely loved this story. It was sweet and the art was wonderful.
September 28, 2017
I love Frankie even though his adorable face makes me cry.
October 9, 2017
The illustrations in A Bedtime Yarn were beautiful, just like the story. I loved it.
October 25, 2018
A sweet story.
I'd rate it higher if we ripped out the middle page talking about him being afraid to sleep. Nonsense. However, skipping over that it was nice with great illustrations.
I'd rate it higher if we ripped out the middle page talking about him being afraid to sleep. Nonsense. However, skipping over that it was nice with great illustrations.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews