Before We Sleep

Little Red the fox and Hazel the gray dormouse are the very best of friends. They play together every chance they get. Fall is the perfect time to play hide-and-seek. Yet as winter approaches, Hazel starts to get ready for hibernation. Little Red doesn’t want their fun to end. He wants to play all winter long, not wait until Hazel wakes in spring.

Can Little Red find a way to keep her up? To make the sun stay high, or make the forest hold its fruit? Maybe he can trick her into staying awake by telling her a story. Come along as two friends settle in for sleep—even if they might prefer to play the season away.

A tender story of friendship and the joys of playtime, Before We Sleep is a metaphor for the ritual of going to bed each night. Throughout the narrative, reluctant sleepers are reassured that their loved ones will be there when they wake. Written by Giorgio Volpe, illustrated by Paolo Proietti, translated by Angus Yuen-Killick, and published by Red Comet Press.