A local author has published his first children’s book after a bedtime poem he wrote nearly a decade ago proved so successful at helping his own children drift off to sleep.
Graham Godwin‑Pearson, who lives near Axbridge, first penned The Sleepy Train around nine years ago to help his daughter, now aged 10, settle at night. When the same story later helped his son, born in 2021, he decided it was time to share it more widely. This Christmas, he took the plunge and published it as a fully illustrated storybook.
The Sleepy Train invites young readers aboard a warm, glowing red train that travels through valleys, over bridges and across moonlit landscapes on its gentle journey to the magical land of Sleepyland. Written with a steady rhythm and soothing imagery, the book is designed to be read aloud, helping children unwind as bedtime approaches.
Expanded from the original poem, the book now includes additional verses that deepen the sense of calm and wonder while keeping the original rhyme and cadence. Parents are encouraged to make the soft, rhythmic sounds of a steam train as they read, adding to the soporific effect.
The illustrations take readers from daylight into night, passing fields, bridges, meadows and forests inspired loosely by the West Somerset Railway. The final station scene, Graham says, was modelled on Minehead Railway Station.
Although Graham regularly writes for think tanks and on local policy, this is his first venture into children’s literature.
He said: “It’s exciting to see what started out as a poem for my baby daughter to help her drift off to sleep become a book that she and her brother can keep forever. I hope that other families find it useful and enjoyable.”
The Sleepy Train is available on Amazon and in local bookshops, including GW Hurley in Burnham‑On‑Sea.
