SARAH ASPER-SMITH makes her home up 100 stairs in Juneau, Alaska,
with her husband, Mitchell Watley. In addition to writing
children's books, Sarah works developing and designing museum
exhibits.
Although MITCHELL WATLEY now lives in Alaska, he still considers
Texas his home. When he is not collaborating with his wife, Sarah,
on an artistic project or a delicious meal, he can often be found
painting in his studio or walking their dog on the beaches near
their home.
"This is a sweet sharing book that is as warm as a bear hug."
Puget Sound Council for the Review of Children's and Young Adult
Literature
"...a thin but delightful book for children ages 3 to 7 about the
caring relationship of mothers toward their offspring in the
northern wilderness. The small factoids are fun too."
The Herald
"Bedtime books featuring drowsy animals are nothing new, but
Asper-Smith takes advantage of a growing trend by adding a
nonfiction element that both deepens the content and opens the book
up for classroom integration. Each two-page spread features an
illustration of an adult/child animal pair and a sweet, nonrhyming
promise: “If you were a little brown bat . . . I would find you on
the darkest of nights.” The feel-good sentiment is then explained
in scientific terms via smaller text at the bottom of the page:
“The little brown bat uses sound at night to find its way in the
dark and capture mosquitoes to eat.” Though sometimes these facts
pull against the cozy fantasy—no, the owl isn’t really staying up
late to tell its offspring stories—they should succeed in
intriguing young readers. Watley’s rough yet realistic
pencil–and–watercolor art resists anthropomorphizingthe characters
and is refreshingly liberal with its palette: aquas for underwater
whales, warm oranges for brown bears, forest greens for porcupines.
Both snuggly and educational."
Booklist
"The book is a fine balance of playful and endearing. It’s concise
while still being educational. And for a four-year-old with the
attention span of a gnat, it has it all: bright illustrations that
are life-like, instead of cartoonish; enough variety to stave off
boredom and no wording that is so long the wiggles set
in. From page one, the book introduces readers to the wildlife
of our northern region. There are snowshoe hares, bowhead and
humpback whales, brown bears, caribou, little brown bats, boreal
owls and arctic terns, just to name a few. Each animal is
highlighted with a distinguishing feature and a little
fact. Those little animal facts are part of what makes the
book a success, I think. They add an opportunity for education and
allow the book to be read to a broader range of young
audiences. The illustrations, too, are a learning opportunity.
They are detailed and lifelike, showing each of the animals in
their typical habitat. Even the muskox look cold in their frozen
tundra scene... In all, I’d say it’s a triumph for this
creative husband-wife team."
Juneau Empire
"I Would Tuck You In is the perfect parent-child love story,
with a variety of Alaska creatures making their little ones safe
and secure in dens, kelp beds, on tundra trails, and in the wide
Arctic sky. Perfect for kids birth to five, this charming book by
Juneau residents Sarah Asper-Smith and Mitchell Watley provides
bedtime-story comfort, any time of the day or night. What I like,
though, are the explanatory notes at the bottom of each page to
engage the older reader, too. Learn about caribou, brown bears,
bowhead whales, or owls as you smoothly navigate the pages, and
calmly assure youngsters you will, indeed, love them always."
AK on the GO
"If you're looking for a serious case of the warm-fuzzies combined
with some fun facts about animals, 'I Would Tuck You In' by Sarah
Asper-Smith might just be a great book to pick up and snuggle with
the kiddos to read."
Capital City Weekly
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