While Mommy Was Fast Asleep

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Pub Date 1 Dec 2019 | Archive Date 8 Jan 2020

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Description

One crisp winter night, beneath a full moon, whispers of sisters drift up from their room…

About the Book

Worldwide, an estimated 1.3 billion people live with vision loss. Roughly 36 million of those are blind. Little sister is one. Tonight, she doesn't feel well so her big sister steps up to care for her all night while they believe mom is sleeping.

For Librarians and Teachers

While Mommy Was Fast Asleep is a beautifully illustrated children's picture book about strong family bonds with a message that visionless doesn't mean hopeless. Illustrations, not text, reveal little sister is blind. Themed emphasis on sound and touch. Lilting rhyme and soothing meter.

Available in hardback, paperback, and ebook editions.

Author's Note

In our research on books that feature characters with vision loss, we discovered that it was typical for the blindness to be central to the plot. Ms. Eaton (illustrator) and I (Lisa Cole, Author) longed to create an inclusive story where the character was loved simply for who they were rather than singled out for any specific difference. Unless it is pointed out, younger children experiencing this story for the first time may not even realize little sister is blind.

Supplemental Materials

While Mommy Was Fast Asleep includes thought-provoking homework questions at the back of the book.

The teacher's guide, created by award-winning teacher-turned-author Marcie Colleen, is also available for free by download (Jan 2020) and for a nominal print price.

A website devoted to the book provides links and resources to help families find nonprofits devoted to vision loss.

One crisp winter night, beneath a full moon, whispers of sisters drift up from their room…

About the Book

Worldwide, an estimated 1.3 billion people live with vision loss. Roughly 36 million of...


Marketing Plan

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Book Launch:

Author Meet & Greets (South Carolina)

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Websites:

Book: WhileMommyWasFastAsleep.com

Publisher: VestraLingua.com

Author: LisaBCole.com

Illustrator: ArtworkByJoy.com


Social Media Tags:

@vestralingua

@writerlisacole

@artworkbyjoyeaton

Interact with Author & Illustrator On:

Amazon Author Central

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Social Media Campaign (8 channels)

Blog Tour Hardcopy

ARC reviewers

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Promotion on book, author, illustrator, and publisher websites (4)

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Average rating from 30 members


Featured Reviews

Oh this book gave me lots of feelings! The love that the two sisters have for each other is so beautiful. The mother hiding to watch them was so cute. This was such a great book.

Two sisters are sleepong when one doesn't feel well. The older sister takes care of the younger so they don't wake mommy. The younger sister is blind but I felt that was very subtle in the book. The girls played and read together just the same. A beautiful story.

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While Mommy Was Fast Asleep follows two sisters who are helping each other in the middle of the night so they do not want to wake up their mother.

This is a wonderful story about two sisters. The aspect that makes it a strong story is the attention to detail with the younger sister being blind. There is such a tenderness to the events in the story with the older sister stepping up to assist her sister in handling tasks that she cannot do alone. The story is beautiful and sweet. The sisters bond is wonderfully done. This story is a lovely one to read to children for them to understand life with a disability.

While Mommy Was Fast Asleep hits shelves on December 1, 2019.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

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The story is great with big sister taking care of small sister, reading books and all. Great illustrations and detail. I got a chance to introduce my kids to the braille dots. I think the alphabet pages on the table and the alphabetic magnetic cards on the fridge with braille dots, are all good details, which will let you answer questions at the back. I liked everything about the book except for the 'mommy is fast asleep - portrayal part.'

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This is a cute little book with beautiful graphics, that shows the wonderful and close relationship that two sisters have with each other, as well as the relationship they have with their mother. The youngest sister in the book is blind and it was nice to see how her older sister looked after her. I enjoyed reading this book with my daughter and she enjoyed the graphics very much. The book is suitable for children aged 4-8. Thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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A quick and heartwarming tale accompanied by absolutely gorgeous illustrations.

I didn't realise the younger child was blind until reaching the end (I saw the author's note but forgot all about it once I started the story), so I liked how subtle yet educational this bit was.

Recommended for all children!

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Now this is just the sweetest book I have ever read! The cutest and the love those two sisters have is just beautiful.

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A beautiful book about the love of sisters. As a mum to three girls, and with two sisters of my own I love books about bonds between sisters. In this book the big sister looks after her sister at night while mommy is fast asleep. The little sister is blind, although that is not mentioned during the book, but mentioned by the author after the book.
I loved this book and will read it to my girls.

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I liked this story very much. No mother is going to complain about a book teaching kids to let their parents sleep. But I like the message of sisterly love and the way they take care of each other and get on well. Definitely a story I would read to my children.
I liked the illustrations too, the style being a bit traditional, which is my preference and how I illustrate my own books.
The only issue I have is with the metre. The repetitions and rhymes are pleasant, but the metre is all over the place and makes it awkward at times to read the story out loud.

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Cute children's book about sisters who try not to wake up their momma who is asleep. Great illustrations. Some rhyming text. Special bond between the sisters, as one is blind

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This is such a sweet story about sisters. I also really enjoyed and appreciated all of the authors notes on the characters. A wonderful story!

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Cute story about sisters. I wish my boys would take a cue from them and help each other out while I slept. I would definitely recommend, especially to families with girls.

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What an uplifting book. The book shows how even with having a disability like can be lived to the full. It also shows the wonderful connection between siblings. The story just flows with lovely pictures.
It’s also great to see questions from the author at the back of the book. Children can certainly engage with this book.

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While Mommy was fast asleep By : Lisa Cole
This is a great book about siblings helping each other . I at first didn’t realize that youngest was blind. i love how the oldest was helping and comforting her. She helped her get cleaned up, get water, and calm her nerves. It is great to see that a older sibling is willing to help the younger one. I recommend this book for family’s and a school library addition.

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What a sweet book! While Mommy Was Fast Asleep is a picture book suited for young children, perhaps ages 3-7. It's a story about a child who is blind and her older sister. The younger child is awake during the night due to not feeling well, and her sister lovingly helps her while trying to be quiet -- Mommy is fast asleep, so they think.

Written in verse, the rhythm makes for a pleasant read-aloud and the font on my digital copy suggests the text is large on the printed page. The black text on a solid white background is also likely an intentional choice to make it more readable for those with certain visual impairments. The full-color illustrations are realistic and interesting to look at -- and I'd encourage you to spend some time on each page really looking at what is depicted, since some crucial details to the story are only revealed in the illustrations.

This inclusive story focuses on siblings' love for one another, and the tender care provided by the older sister. The younger sister's vision impairment isn't addressed in the text, but there are clues in the illustrations. More information is provided in an "about the book" section, which I'm hoping is also available in the final print copy. A teacher's guide is available online.

Recommended for a read-aloud to the younger set, for classrooms, libraries.

Thanks to NetGalley and Vestra Lingua Kids for the free digital review copy.

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What a cute children's story!! No one would ever imagine that one of the main characters is blind. It plays absolutely no part in the story at all! None, nada, nope. Just a cute story about a little girl and her older sister getting up in the middle of the night and having fun doing what all kids do with stolen hours! Enjoying doing whatever they want to do... without being scrutinized by an adult who may find what they're doing wrong. Kids should be in bed after a certain time. Right? Every adult knows that! But, every kid knows... that stolen midnight hours are the best hours of their young lives!

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A very sweet and beautifully illustrated children's book, showing the love and caring between sisters. The youngest sister isn't feeling well, so the older sister comforts her little sister with cuddles and stories. She helps her sister get some water and brings her to the bathroom. The picture in the kitchen shows their joy in each other. The sisters try not to wake their mama, and want to let her sleep. they have no idea their momma is lovingly watching over them the whole time and enjoying seeing their closeness, I really loved this book, and enjoyed going back to the beginning and really looking for the signs of the family learning right along with their little girl the communication using Braille.

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Read this book to my granddaughter and I must say this is a very unique story and shows a sisters love.

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