SLEEPY DINOSAUR AND THE BAD CASE OF THE BEDTIME ROARS!
by Lee LoBue illustrated by Mathew Schelsky
A dinosaur child is her own worst enemy at bedtime in LoBue’s picture book.
Sleepy Dinosaur has had a big day: She’s been to the park, seen a movie, and been chased by dogs, and now she’s tired and ready to sleep. The only problem is that every time she yawns, she lets out an uncontrollable roar that wakes all the humans in her urban neighborhood. In their annoyance, they all let out such a large chorus of shushing that the staticlike noise lulls Sleepy Dinosaur to sleep. Schelsky’s full-color illustrations render Sleepy Dinosaur as a comical but still potentially dangerous T-rex, wearing a T-shirt and no pants, with an oversize head, toothy smile, and alligator belly. Human characters have diverse skin tones and, like Sleepy Dinosaur, wear sleeping caps. The protagonist seems to have no feral or malicious instincts—her roaring is involuntary, which prevents her own sleep and which she wants to get under control. The story resolves neatly and quickly, making this a brisk bedtime read. It’s unclear what human behavior roaring might be analogous for here, though caregivers may recognize in Sleepy Dinosaur a child who badly needs to slumber and needs help to quiet their mind.
A short, funny dinosaur-themed story for just before lights out.