Sleeping through the Storm: Stormy Weather by Debi Gliori

Should the oceans roar and rise
And dark clouds race across the skies,
I'll hold you tight and close and warm
And keep you safe throughout the storm.

If thunder tore the night in two,
And lightning played at peek-a-boo,
We'd watch the storm pass overhead,
Then curl up save and snug in bed.

Kids a bit fearful of wild stormy nights will find cozy solace in Debi Gliori's latest, Stormy Weather (Walker, 2009), in which a parent fox comforts the little one with reassurances that although the storm may rage outside, they are not alone in finding safety and warm shelter together.

Across the world in many beds,
A million bedtime stories are read.
The lights go out, good nights are said.

Gliori's verse is evocative and soothing, and her soft and lovely ink and watercolor illustrations are both engaging and calming in their comforting curved lines and muted colors. The best-selling author/illustrator of The Trouble with Dragons, which she wittily smuggles into this new story, and No Matter What, Gliori is a talented artist whose newest picture book is a strong entry in the bedtime story genre.