Hi, friends! Today we have a super duper cute little picture book for you from father and sons authors Henry, Josh and Harrison Herz. Their latest book Mabel and the Queen of Dreams is out this month!
Read more about the book below and check out my review!
About the Book
Little Mabel was an expert at not going to sleep. She knew all the best bed-avoiding excuses. “I’m thirsty. I need to use the bathroom. Will you tell me a story?” Mom ALWAYS fell for that one. But Mom had the Queen of Dreams in her quiver of bedtime tales. The fae queen paints children’s dreams, so she can only visit when their eyes are closed. As Mom’s tale unfolds, her voice becomes that of the Queen of Dreams. Mabel gradually transitions from sitting on her bed, to slipping her feet under the covers, to laying her head on her pillow, to finally closing her eyes.
The story is inspired by Mercutio’s soliloquy in Romeo & Juliet, in which he details how the tiny fairy queen influences people’s dreams as she passes by in her flying chariot. The dreamy soothing language helps parents get their kids to sleep.
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About the BookUtterly adorable, with fun and whimsical illustrations
Henry Herz and sons have created another adorable picture book that’s charming and fun to read – even for silly grownups like me. The story begins by introducing little Mabel who never runs out of excuses so she can stay up and not go to bed. Then her mother starts to tell her the story of the fae queen who only visits children in their sleep. As her mother tells her the story, Mabel slowly tucks herself in bed until she falls asleep to dream of the fae queen.
It’s a pretty simple story but it’s so cute and adorable, especially the illustrations. This book has a sort of dreamy quality that is just fitting, I guess, since I think this is meant to be a bedtime story. It’s simply a nice book to read with the kiddies. I really have no problems with it. It’s nothing mind-blowing maybe, but it’s interesting and imaginative, and anything that makes children engage their imagination is a good thing in my book.
I also love that it’s inspired by a piece of work by Shakespeare. I’ve read Romeo and Juliet years ago and I couldn’t remember this bit, and now I’m actually thinking about reading it again. I don’t know if I ever will, but I like that this charming little book for kids made a big kid like me think about that. Hah.
Note: I received a review copy of this book from the author. All opinions and views expressed here are my own.
About the Authors
Henry Herz writes fantasy and science fiction for children. His debut picture book, Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes, was published by Pelican in 2015. When You Give An Imp A Penny and Little Red Cuttlefish are scheduled to be published by Pelican in 2016.
Henry and his sons have also indie-published four children’s books, including Nimpentoad (a fantasy early chapter book), which reached #1 in Kindle Best Sellers large print sci-fi & fantasy, and was featured in Young Entrepreneur, Wired GeekDad, and CNN. Henry was the editor of Beyond The Pale (a fantasy young adult anthology, editor) with short stories by award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors Saladin Ahmed, Peter S. Beagle, Heather Brewer, Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine, Kami Garcia, Nancy Holder, Gillian Philip & Jane Yolen. The book reached #2 in Amazon Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Anthologies.
Henry is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) and the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). Henry participates in literature panels at a variety of conventions, including San Diego Comic-Con and WonderCon. Henry created KidLit Creature Week (www.birchtreepub.com/kcw/), an annual online gallery of monsters, creatures, and other imaginary beasts from children’s books. Henry writes articles about children’s literature for TheWriteLife.com. He reviews children’s books for the San Francisco Book Review and the San Diego Book Review.
Like their father, both boys are big fans of fantasy, science fiction, and San Diego Comic-Con. They have an entrepreneurial bent too. They’ve started three web-based businesses selling LEGO party favors, custom cast bases for Warhammer, and painted concrete yard sculptures.
Connect with the authors: Website – Twitter – Facebook – Pinterest