I hope this book title grabbed your attention, as it grabbed mine. This is a different type of book recommendation this month, and it is actually a recommendation of an entire series of six children’s books in the ‘Sleep with Kip’ range. This series of books has become my most gifted present for young parents and I am sure that you will have people in your life who will enjoy and benefit from the beautiful messages within these books.
Firstly, just a little background to the creation of the Sleep with Kip books. They were created by a research team at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), which is Australia’s largest child health research centre and operates out of the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. The series of six books address common sleep problems in young children and empower both the young person and the parent with ways they can help overcome them and develop healthy sleeping habits.
I love all six books. I love the name ‘Kip’ who is a brightly coloured character in the shape of a soft, cuddly pillow who gently asks questions, provides advice, and goes on the journey with the young child. Pick Your Own Nose is a story about a young boy, Lucas, who ‘needs’ his Mum and Dad to tuck him in to bed at night, and re-tuck him into bed whenever he wakes up during the night. Enter Kip, who begins to ask Lucas what things he ‘needs’ his parents for, and what things he can do on his own. Does Kip need his parents to pick his nose, or can Lucas do that by himself?
I have had the pleasure of reading this book to a large number of young primary school children as part of their Pyjama Day. Dressed in our PJs, the children and I explored together the importance of sleep and some of the challenges we can face in developing healthy sleep habits. I concluded with reading the book aloud and the young children laughed and laughed as they absorbed the important message that they can put themselves back to sleep if they wake up in the night.
Sleep is a non-negotiable, biological necessity – it represents approximately a third of every person’s life and it has a tremendous impact on how we live, function, and perform during the two-thirds of our lives when we are awake! We hope this series of evidence-informed books helps young people and parents to sleep soundly – I know it has been helpful for many of my friends, colleagues, and extended family members.
As an aside, given the number of different sleep challenges present in our society, please do speak to your doctor or a health professional if you have ongoing concerns about your sleep.
Sleep well!