This is a quirky, amusing, information-packed book for all lovers of sleep. It's a celebration of nature's greatest free gift, the perfect companion for the bedside table. It's the book to curl up with before falling asleep. It looks at the history, culture, folklore, language and science of sleep. Did you know that the siesta was once a British tradition? Why do we say 'sleep like a top'? Does counting sheep work? What are the very best sleeps? Who invented pyjamas? If dogs sleep so much, why are they always yawning? What are the best films about sleep? Do today's children have less sleep than Edwardian children? Does booze help or hinder sleep? Not only is sleep a great natural pleasure, it's also essential to good health. The book examines how a lack of sleep is increasingly seen as a health risk. Sleep is also the place of dreams and nightmares. Why are so many dreams the same and what are the archetypal recurring dreams? What is the origin of the word 'nightmare'? And what do Bugs Bunny, the surrealists and Freud have to do with dreaming? Sleep is there to be enjoyed. It's not worth getting into bed for anything else.

"Drowsy animal babies snuggle in trees, caves, weeds, and on waves, but one sleepyhead isn't yet in his bed"--

“A strange and dreamy voice . . . , like an Italo Calvino short story, curiously translated from some lost, obscure language.” —Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love An utterly charming study of the history of lying down—which is more complicated than you might think We spend a good third of our lives lying down: sleeping, dreaming, making love, thinking, reading, and getting well. Bernd Brunner’s ode to lying down is a rich exploration of cultural history and an entertaining collection of tales, ranging from the history of the mattress to the “slow living movement” to Stone Age repose—when people did not sleep lying down—and beyond. He approaches the horizontal state from a number of directions, but never loses his keen sense for the odd or unusual detail. Far from being a pose of passivity or laziness, lying down can be a protest, a chance to gather thoughts or change your point of view—the other side to our upright, productive lives. Brunner makes an eloquent case for the importance of lying down in a world that values ever-greater levels of activity, arguing that time spent horizontally offers rewards that we’d do well not to ignore.

"After a day filled with loved ones and fun, baby is sleepy from head to toe"--

A sweet “I’m not ready for bed yet” tale is now available as a Classic Board Book! Sleepyhead, Sleepyhead. Good night, good night, my Sleepyhead. A kitten toddler is putting her favorite teddy bear to bed, just as her mother always tucks her in. But it’s really not bedtime until one more hug, one more kiss, one more snuggle, and one more story have been shared. And then, finally, it is time for sleepyheads everywhere to fall asleep. With rhythmic text and whimsical illustrations, this bedtime story is available for the first time as a Classic Board Book.

A young child bids her surroundings an affectionate goodnight before settling down for a peaceful night's sleep. This classic bedtime tale is perfect for lulling little sleepyheads to bed.