Night is falling in a forgotten part of the world. Nicnic the monkey is with his mamma Ve and dada Lo, high in the tallest trees in the universe.

Every night Nicnic’s eyes grow heavy listening to bedtime stories by his mamma. Every story builds Nicnic’s imagination, and one night as he is gathering the softest leaves he can find for his bed, he wonders if there is anything even softer he could use. Surely he would sleep even better and longer if his bed was softer?

Before Mamma begins her story that night she asks Nicnic if he’s sure it’s his bed that will help his sleep?

Soon falling asleep, his imagination gives him a wonderful dream. He sets off on an amazing adventure around the world, looking for the softest possible bed.

Is it in a lion’s mane, on flamingo feathers? Maybe in cotton wool clouds or magical moonbeams? The more he searches, the clearer the answer becomes.

A beautifully illustrated bedtime book which takes young listeners around the world with the main character – a young monkey called Nicnic.

Word-play, alliteration and imagination inside of a dream are key components of this story, including some complicated words that can be talked about on further readings. This widens the readership of the book which would make a gorgeous bedtime read for siblings aged from 3 to 6.

Appreciation is an important theme, as Nicnic realises the true magic of his parent’s bedtime ritual with him.

Author / Illustrator – Jonathan Smith

Picture Book

(2022, Little Love, Mary Egan Publishing, Monkey, Dreams, Imagination, Bedtime Story, World, Adventure, Animals, Questions, Alliteration, Word-Play, Family, Security, Architect author, NZ Author, NZ Illustrator)