I Don't Want to Sleep Tonight (Pop-Up Book) - Hardcover

Veteran TV journalist Norville tackles the medium with which she's most familiar in her first children's book, a lift-the-flap/pop-up title about television's negative influence on a child's bedtime dreams. Watching TV or playing video games before bed inspires scary visions of monsters for the young protagonist, while quieter pursuits such as reading books or painting model cars conjure peaceful images of "a world of chocolate rivers with fields of candy trees." Norville's message here is bound to be a parent-pleaser and may coax (or perhaps even frighten) some young TV-addicts into changing their ways. But readers may have trouble following the rhyming, occasionally stilted story (an awkward tense change in one spot doesn't help). A vexing format hides most of the text beneath flaps (as many as three scattered across a spread), which must be lifted in the proper sequential order to avoid confusion. Smaller flaps hide spot art, adding to the puzzlement. O'Neill's bold-hued, at times garish paintings have a rough, oil-on-board texture, and her androgynous child protagonist is limited to two expressions throughout: wide-eyed apprehension and sweet, smiling sleep mode. Ages 3-7. (Nov.)
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