Slug Dad and Monster Mum (Kip’s Guide to Bedtime: Early Morning Waking) by Robert Boddington and Jack Robertson, illustrated by Yoon Park and Matt Hughes

Title: Slug Dad and Monster Mum (Kip’s Guide to Bedtime: Early Morning Waking)

Author: Robert Boddington and Jack Robertson, illustrated by Yoon Park and Matt Huges

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Murdoch Children’s Research Institute

Published: August 2022

Format: Paperback

Pages: 63

Price: $14.99

Synopsis: Blake wants to wake Mum and Dad up early in the morning, but little does she know what could happen if she does. Thankfully, Kip is around to warn Blake what will happen if she wakes her parents up too early.

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Blake has woken up early – too early! And she can’t go back to sleep. So she decides it’s time to wake mum and dad up before the sun can rise properly because she is full of energy and ready to start the day. But then, Kip comes along and tells her what will happen if she wakes them up too early – Dad will become a slug who can’t read or take her to school, and Mum will become a grouchy monster. So what’s Blake going to do? Well, Kip will help her get back to sleep until it is time to wake up.

Blake doesn’t want her parents to become slugs or monsters – so read on as Kip helps her learn to go back to sleep so this doesn’t happen.

The research of Professor Harriet Hiscock, a leading figure in paediatric sleep studies has inspired this series of books designed to help families navigate a range of sleep issues and challenges, and her scientific insights have been distilled into charming and captivating stories that speak to children on their terms and in ways that they can understand, so they can learn about proper sleep and empathy. This story tackles early morning rising – and this book can help families navigate the challenges around kids who get up early and show them how they can cope with what is going on in your lives. The story captures the worries of waking up early and what it must feel like for young children who struggle to sleep.

Slug Dad and Monster Mum shows Blake discover the joys of sleeping until morning – that she can stay in bed until it is time to wake up. The story uses humour and empathy, and delightful images that children can engage with and understand. These are books that highlight challenges that many children can face in a safe way, letting them know that their feelings and struggles with bedtime are okay – and that there are always ways to get through these challenges so they can grow and flourish. Allowing children to see how their actions can impact other people in books like this can help them understand more about the world around them as they grow up and become part of the world that everyone must find ways to live in every day. I think the colourful images and short stories will engage adult and child readers, creating connections and teaching lessons in a fun and shiny way.