Rockingchair Rhymes 

When my son was an itty bitty, he sometimes had a tough go of it falling asleep. There were nights he was too excited from the day and others that he had a rumbly tummy. I was gifted a rocking chair-- it was left behind by the former owner of my home. This big ol' chair always meant a lot to me because the woman shared that she rocked her son to sleep in it. Somehow, I just knew I would have one of my own someday soon. I put that rocking chair to immediate good use.

As I rocked him to sleep, nestled in my arms, it helped for him to hear mommy's voice quietly soothing him. To match the rhythm of the rocking chair, I memorized and would recite Eugene Field's timeless children's poem, Wynken, Blyken, and Nod. It wasn't a long story, so I would recite it a couple times and that usually was enough to sail my sweet son off to dreamland.

As he got older, he would ask for other stories... I read little books, like Goodnight Moon, but they just didn't have that soothing rhythm that could be spoken in time with the motion of the rocking chair. What's a writer to do? Oh, right, create her own poetry. 

Samuel's Excursions have the same cadence and beat and Field's classic about those worthy travelers. As he got a little older and could pick up a few words on the page, he asked me to (try to) draw pictures and write them down. I share the first in this series with you. I hope that it helps your little one catch the westerlies off to dreamland as well as it did my own cherub.

I wish you fair winds and following seas... nighty night.