While You Are Sleeping: A Lift-the-Flap Book of Time Around the World

by Durga Yael Bernhard

As one child goes to bed, another child is waking up on the other side of the world. With each page turn, readers see the same moment in time in nine different the United States, Nigeria, Japan, Mexico, India, Thailand, Haiti, England, and Brazil. The lift-the-flap feature makes the "big idea" concept of time accessible to young readers. Open the book to a child reading before bed in Alaska, then lift the flap on the opposite page to see someone in Nigeria getting dressed to start her day.

Durga Bernhard’s simple text and whimsical illustrations make WHILE YOU ARE SLEEPING a perfect read-aloud–especially for bedtime. Back matter includes a map and author’s note explaining time zones and highlighting the different countries featured in the text.

An excellent resource for all areas of the curriculum, this book invites readers to learn more about the cultures, people, and places in the world around them.

Genres: Picture Books, Cultural, Mathematics, Nonfiction, Geography, Childrens, Kids

24 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Also goes by Durga Bernhard and D. Yael Bernhard

Reviews

[Sabrina Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This children's book travels through different areas of the world showing what is going on in each area at the same time. It starts in Alaska where it shows a young girl native american girl and her father reading, at 10:00 pm and also shows the military time; 22:00. It then moves to Nigeria at the same time which is 9:00 am there which in military time is 9:00 of a young african american girl getting dressed. It then shows again Nigeria at 9:00 am still with a girl carrying fruit and then on the other page shows two boys walking home at 5:00 pm or 17:00 in Japan. It continues this pattern in Mexico, India, Thailand, Haiti, United Kingdom, Brazil, then back to Alaska. It shows the different cultures of each of the different areas of the world. It’s a great book to show that there is more going on in the world than what we can see. It shows kids the different time zones and it shows them what the world looks like in different areas of the world.
This book did a great job of visually showing what different cultures looked like around the world at one specific time in the day. All of the pictures looked authentic and the characters were younger children so it was something that children who would be reading this book could connect to better. The format of the book was also unique because the visuals provided most of the context for the the book and there were pull up tabs on each page that showed a window into a different country. This book is very visually appealing and there is a timezone map at the back which shows what time each area of the world is at.
Though this book showed different cultures it didn’t show the cultures interacting much as they are all just in their own areas.

[Iza Alcorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

While you are sleeping is a unique book that captures different time zones all around the globe. Throughout the book, it discusses how when you are asleep, there is another person is somewhere in the world is in a different time zone than you are. It also discusses what people do during that time zone, and how different areas around the world are not on the same time clock that you are. Which makes the book interesting as well as fun to read. The book discusses places all around the world like Alaska, Mexico, Haiti, Brazil, United Kingdom, India, and Nigeria. The places mentioned in the book are places that are in different continents, and students get to learn about multiple countries around the world. The pictures have covers over the pictures, like a flap for students to uncover which as a reader take you into a small image of people in that country. With these colorful images the reader is able to learn about different time zones, countries as well as continents. I would use this book in my classroom in a geography unit. I have no critiques for this book because I fell in love with this book and the amazing content and pictures it contains.

[Courtney Durbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

While You Are Sleeping is a great book and I highly recommend adding this one to the classroom bookshelf, I know I will be! Throughout the story you are introduced to a few children from all over the world. Each time we are introduced to a new character, we get a tiny map of the origin of the child, and a clock showing what time it is there. I loved this book not only because it was interactive, with the flaps over the maps, but that young readers are Abel to realize that the place that they live in is not the only "place on earth" so to speak. They get to make connection that life is going on for everyone everywhere. I also really enjoyed the as the reader you can make further connections to the character and their region by looking at what is going on behind them in the main picture. This book is perfect for multi-cultural connections, and would be perfect for young readers to flip through to see how others around the world are living and what is normal where they live.

[Savannah Slife · Rating 5 out of 5]

While You Are Sleeping is a fantastic book that highlights many different types of cultures around the world. This would be a great book to show young readers because it showcases many types of children around the world. It shows the culture they are from. I really enjoyed this book because it embraces how everyone’s cultures are so unique and we are all living our lives just at different part of the world. Although this book mentions different time zones it also shows aspects of each culture through the illustrations and I thought that was neat. It is important for us to expose children to the understanding of different cultures at a young age. This book helps us do that by showing that although we may be different due to our cultures we all go about life at the same time as everyone else around the world. Overall, I really loved this book!

[Lorilynn Pumphrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Copyright - Unknown
Number of Pages - 24
Book Format - Print
Reading Level - Ages 5-8
Genre - Fiction
Lit Requirement - Concept Books

Summary: This book is about kids from all over the world and how the time varies in different countries.


Response: This book is great for teaching kids the different time frames each county has.I love that when they are comparing countries, they label each country and show the exact times.

[Alyse Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

While You Are Sleeping introduces children to the concept of time and time zones around the world. The text and illustrations span the globe, circling back to Alaska where the story started. This is a simple but effective way of explaining the world's time zones to young readers while also giving them a glimpse of the different cultures around the world. On each right-hand page, readers can lift a round flap to see the time and the person who is engaged in activities very different from what the person on the facing page is doing. This is a perfect book to use when discussing global matters, different countries, time differences, and geography topics. This book would be suitable for kindergarten through third grade. This book was a great way to simplify a complicated concept. I like the illustrations in the book I thought they were very detailed. One thing I like about this book is that it shows children that people all around the world are doing something different. In one country there going to bed in another country just getting up. It's a cool book to show kids because its neat to think that while I'm off to school another country is already on their next day. It's a good way to teach, and explore the world around us.

[Jordan Cummings · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book introduces children to the concept of time and time zones around the world. It follows what children are doing at different times of the day, in different places of the world. For example, at the time a child would be getting ready for bed in Alaska is the same time a child in Nigeria is getting dressed and ready for the day. It not only shows the different parts of the world, but it also demonstrates daily activities of different children of different cultures. The illustrations are very vibrant and colorful, and the use of pop-ups makes this a very interactive book. This would be a great book to teach children about time and diversity. The author’s note at the end explains time zones in more details and also provides the reader with a highlighted map of the different time zones around the world. The text is simple enough for children to understand, and the illustrations are beautifully done and easy to look at.

[Natalia Lindquist]

While you are Sleeping is a wonderful lift-the-flap book about different time zones around the world. The first page a picture of a mother and child reading and includes the time of day in Alaska. The page next to it shows a picture of people in Nigeria getting dressed and ready for the day. The following page shows a woman with a basket on her head which is compared to friends walking home together in Japan. This book can shape a child’s perspective by demonstrating the importance of realizing that people around the world are in different time zones. This book also introduces other traditions and cultural values that people have around the world. I really like this book because it gives children a different perspective and educated understanding for other cultures around the world. By learning about different cultures, I think it encourages kids to be more understanding for ELL students.
Deacon, A. (2006). While you are sleeping. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

[Samantha Simmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

It starts out in Alaska with a girl and her mother reading at 10 P.M. They are then connected to someone getting dressed in Nigeria at 9 A.M. The book continues by connecting times in countries to what they are doing somewhere else in the world in a different time zone. The genre of this book would be cultural. the format of this book is a picture book that has flip up parts. The reading level of this class would be young elementary students. You could use this book in a classroom for a unit about time. the theme/topic of this book would be times and time zones around the world. i think this book would be good for any gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

Bernhard, D. (2011). While you are sleeping: A lift-the-flap book of time around the world. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is different from a normal story line because the book starts out in Alaska with a woman reading to a child and then goes to the other side of the world to Nigeria and says someone is getting dressed. The book continues to connect times in different countries to show what they could be doing in different time zones.

The genre of this book would be cultural. The format of this book is a picture book. The reading level would be young elementary students. You could use this book in a classroom for a unit about time and teaching them how to tell time and also learn about time zones. The theme of this book would be time. I think this book would be good for any gender, race, and socioeconomic status.

Bernhard, D. (2011). While you are sleeping: A lift-the-flap book of time around the world. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

While You Are Sleeping
Durga Bernhard

(Multi-Genre Research Project)

This book was so fun to work with in doing my multi genre research project for my children's literature class. This short picture book focuses in on different time zones around the world and the different areas around the world from Haiti to Great Britain to Alaska and what people are doing all around the world while another is sleeping. I used this book to embrace the aspect of culture and traveling. I feel this book is meant for the Pre K to Kindergarten levels since it does not have many words in it. I feel as if a teacher could do a lot with this book though like I was able to do for my project. It could be a resource for helping teach children about time zones as well as to get children to think about different areas around the world and what other cultures do during the day and night.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

While one mother reads to her child in Alaska at 10 p.m., across the world in Nigeria,a girl is dressing and then either carrying food to the market or home from the market. While she is doing this, two friends in Japan are heading home from school. The text and illustrations span the globe, circling back to Alaska where the story started. This is a simple but effective way of explaining the world's time zones to young readers while also giving them a glimpse of the different cultures around the world. On each right-hand page, readers can lift a round flap to see the time and the person who is engaged in activities very different from what the person on the facing page is doing. The gouache paint illustrations are filled with vibrant colors and appealing images.

[Marissa Reyes]

The text While You Are Sleeping by Durga Bernhard is a book written for an advanced reader; due to the fact that the child needs to understand that there are different countries outside of the United States to grasp the concept in which this book portrays so well. This interactive book made with flaps, representing the next featured country, helps visual learners begin to wrap their mind around a complex idea of time zones. The illustrations also did a wonderful job capturing the essence of each culture from page to page. So this book also teaches children that not everyone around the world live the same way as children in the United States, in which would hopefully make them grateful for the life they live.

[Tina Andrade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bernhard, D. (2011). While you are sleeping: a lift-the-flap book of time around the world. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.

-NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
-Notable Books for a Global Society

Concept Book.

An interesting insight and well done book about what is happening in other parts of the world simultaneously. The illustrations and maps, along with the visuals of the actual time on a clock, are great tools to help tell the story and aid in comprehension. This is a perfect book to use when discussing global matters, different countries, time differences, and geography topics. This book would be suitable for kindergarten through third grade. This book was a great way to simplify a complicated concept! Worth checking out!

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a simple, but effective way to teach about the 24 time zones that encircle the Earth. It doesn't cover daylight savings time (which would likely only complicate the story unnecessarily), but it does mention that there are some places which are set to 30 minutes off of other locations in the same time zone. Strange, but true. The illustrations are colorful and the lift the flap feature is sure to be a hit. The narrative is simple, but might be a little bit above the heads of toddlers and preschoolers. Still, it's an entertaining story and it helped me to explain how I would be in a different time zone from our girls tomorrow when I go on my business trip.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a picture book unlike anything I've ever seen. This is a story of when one child goes to bed, what the rest of the world is doing. The reader goes on adventure seeing different countries where we see a variety of tasks and lifestyles. Every page has a piece of paper that you can pull up to see the time of the country based on the original character that went to sleep. It was a wonderful multicultural book and would be great to show other people how the rest of the world lives. So many times, we get immersed in our world forgetting how many other cultures and societies there are. This book helps to widen our perspective and a humble reminder about other people around the world.

[Zara Younus]

This book is amazing and so interactive! This is a lift-the-flap book which helps the children learn the time, how to read a clock, and also the many countries around the world. Each page includes beautiful illustrations of the country and its culture, the next page includes the next country listing the continent, the country, and the ocean nearest to its location. Under the flap, there is a caption of what the other side of the world is doing and a drawing of the clock. With the use of this book, children would learn geography, time and time zones, culture, as well as enhance their reading.

[Erika Knapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short read and for children, it could be very interesting. I personally enjoyed this read because I found it interesting how it goes from how one country is doing something another country is doing something else and then it goes on from the country just mentioned doing something while another country is doing something different and so on. This can be very interesting to children while learning how different countries have different time zones. The life the flaps and pictures in this book make it very interactive and I feel like it adds to the story and makes it more enjoyable.

[Missy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this idea! My kids are getting into maps and geography, and I always enjoy a book that opens their eyes to the rest of the world. While you are sleeping (alaska at 10 pm), someone is getting dressed (nigeria, 9 am), someone is pushing a boat from the shore (brazil, 5 am)...all paintings of children taking part in different activities around the globe at the same moment, which shows up differently on their own clocks.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the illustrations in the book I thought they were very detailed. One thing I like about this book is that it shows children that people all around the world are doing something different. In one country there going to bed in another country just getting up. It's a cool book to show kids because its neat to think that while I'm off to school another country is already on their next day. It's a good way to teach, and explore the world around us.

[Britnee Grantz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is great for young readers to understand the concept of time and that not everyone around the world is doing the same thing. The book shows children all around the world and while in one country a child may be sleeping but in another one may be just getting up. There is a flap to lift up so its interactive with the children along with a clock on each page for readers learning how to tell time.

[Cherilyn Latimer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting because of the way it was laid out, it shows what's going on in one part of the world but at the same time the time changes at a different part of the world and people are doing different things. I think it would be good for children because they can see how different the world can be at different times of the day and while it's night time in one place it can be broad daylight in another place.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The concept of time explained for the youngest readers; while you are sleeping, someone else might be waking, or walking home from school with a friend. I love the round frames which echo the globe. The maps included as thumbnails and backgrounds on each page are details that older readers (early elementary) will appreciate.

[Mackenzie Beals · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book won the Notable Book for a Global Society Award. It is a simple book that is useful for very young readers. As one child is waking up, another child is sleeping across the world. The reader gets to see the same moment in nine different countries. It is a flip up book so students are able to understand the concept of the book.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute book that talks about what children are doing around the world at different times in different countries. Beautiful illustrations done in gouache paint on watercolor paper. A bit of the single story showing snapshots in different countries; however, it can be paired with other pieces of literature. Also, it is mainly used to show time zones around the world.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy)]

I have seen this done before...can't put my finger on the title of the book (it has been years since I read it)..but not as a flap-lift up type book. It's fun. Children get to visually see how time is different in various countries.

[Claudia Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice book with beautiful illustrations that helps children understand that there are different time zones. While one child is awake, another one might be sleeping in a different part of the world.

[Rebecca Millerjohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely book about time and the great world turning. Interactive flaps on the pages show you what time it would be comparatively. Smaller pictures, difficult for a large group, but a wonderful book for introducing the idea of time and the great wide world to young readers.

[Linda Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lift-the-flap book of time around the world. Colorful illustrations and simple lyrical text make this one a winner!

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

International, flip book. Shows what is happening at different times all over the world. Not in love with art work, but cool concept.