The Little Sleepyhead - Hardcover

PreSchool-Grade 1–In a long-ago, quiet world alive with nature, a little boy plays by himself all day long and, as evening comes, looks for a place to sleep. He tries to find comfort with the squirrels in the trees, the frogs on the lily pads, and snuggled up with a dozing bear. But when the bear snores and the boy shouts, "Shush! Be quiet! I want to sleep!" the whole forest wakes up. Startled birds take flight and shake their feathers into a nice soft bed for the Little Sleepyhead. Even so, something is missing–until he finds a soft lamb to snuggle with for the night. This sweet story is illustrated with misty, muted scenes. The spreads reflect Gore's usual ethereal style with characters and nature flowing seamlessly out of the softly colored backgrounds. Unlike the edginess and haunting unease of his illustrations for Janice Del Negro's Lucy Dove(DK Ink, 2001), here Gore softens and rounds the edges and uses a wide palette of dreamy colors to create an appropriately soothing feel for a bedtime story.–Shelley B. Sutherland, Niles Public Library District, IL
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PreS. Manushkin removes her bedtime story from the familiar comfort of a bedroom, as a tired toddler steps outside, looking for a place to snuggle down. Where will he rest his head? With frogs floating on lily pads? No. Then the grass looks soft, but bugs wiggle up his nose; he laughs, but he doesn't sleep. He sees songbirds sleeping in nests, beavers in ponds, squirrels hugging branches, but he can't sleep the way they do. Gore's soft-toned, pastel double-page spreads combine coziness with the fun of discovering glittery fish, snoring bears, and swaying grass. The repeated question, "He closed his eyes, but did he sleep?" will have the lap-sit crowd shouting out the answer, "No!" as they enjoy the fun of leaving home before they snuggle down for the night. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved