João by a Thread

Roger Mello's João by a Thread is a dreamy bedtime book for 5 year olds about a boy, his blanket and everything that happens to it once he falls asleep.

What happens

João pulls up his blanket at bedtime and wonders if it's just him now, on his own. Then the questions start. How big is the blanket? As big as the bed? As big as the night?

Almost every line is a question, and that's the magic of it. The blanket turns into mountains when his feet kick about underneath (little cloth cities wait for the earthquakes). A goodnight kiss "never stops kissing". Maybe he'll sleep when his father goes out fishing? Then come dreams of rivers and lakes and a fish so big it tears right through the net.

Then the dream gets a bit scary. There's a lake of fear, and a hole in the blanket that grows until it swallows everything. João wakes with a start and his blanket has come undone.

What he does next is lovely. He finds words scattered across the floor and stitches them into a patchwork blanket, making up a lullaby as he goes. For want of a needle, will a question mark do?

It's short and it isn't really a story with a plot. It's more like a poem to read slowly, in a quiet voice, with lots of pauses. Your reader might want to answer the questions out loud (how big IS the night?), which is half the fun.

It's especially good for a child who lies awake with a head full of questions, or one who gets a bit wobbly about the dark. João is scared for a moment, then he makes something comforting out of words. If your reader likes a clear beginning, middle and end, it might feel a little puzzling at first.

At the back there are two short notes, one from the translator, Daniel Hahn, and one from Roger Mello about growing up in Brazil.

What to read next

If they enjoy a bedtime book that goes somewhere unexpected, try Outer Space Bedtime Race next. It's much bouncier and rhymes all the way, as the aliens on every planet race each other into bed.