An entertaining tale sure to resonate with those on either side of the bedtime battle.
I’m not tired!
Perhaps you know a tiny person who likes to adamantly declare that they’re not tired. If so, they’ll feel an immediate kinship with Sleepy Sheepy, a droopy-eyed ball of white wool who is “NOT SLEEPY!” even though it is time for bed (the illustrations of an exhausted-looking sheep provide a hilarious counterpoint to his claim). His heavy-lidded parents (who have baby carriers strapped to their chests holding Sleepy Sheepy’s siblings) attempt to wrangle him, but he has other ideas—great ideas! Like skateboarding and singing karaoke! But the parents slowly direct Sheepy to his bed, with mixed results. After one last breakout to grab a snack, Sheepy declares, “I’m a little bit tired” and is shuffled off to bed (without brushing his teeth, it seems). The story is amusing—although maybe not that amusing to parents who dance a similar dance regularly. The blue-tinged cartoonish illustrations are humorous, depicting tired expressions on everyone’s faces except the two babies—perhaps hinting at future stories of this wooly family. Caregivers will enjoy making this a bedtime read, and librarians will turn to this often for pajama storytimes. Young readers who love rebelling against bedtime rules will delight in seeing Sheepy’s evening escapades, and astute members of this crowd will notice his happy smile when he’s finally curled up in bed. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An entertaining tale sure to resonate with those on either side of the bedtime battle. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-46591-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends.
Is it a stormy-night scare or a bedtime book? Both!
Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are heading home when a storm lets loose. Before long, their familiar, now very nervous barnyard friends (Goat, Hen, Goose, Cow, Duck, and Pig) squeeze into the garage. Blue explains that “clouds bump and tumble in the sky, / but here inside we’re warm and dry, / and all the thirsty plants below / will get a drink to help them grow!” The friends begin to relax. “Duck said, loud as he could quack it, / ‘THUNDER’S JUST A NOISY RACKET!’ ” In the quiet after the storm, the barnyard friends are sleepy, but the garage is not their home. “ ‘Beep!’ said Blue. ‘Just hop inside. / All aboard for the bedtime ride!’ ” Young readers will settle down for their own bedtimes as Blue and Toad drop each friend at home and bid them a good night before returning to the garage and their own beds. “Blue gave one small sleepy ‘Beep.’ / Then Little Blue Truck fell fast asleep.” Joseph’s rich nighttime-blue illustrations (done “in the style of [series co-creator] Jill McElmurry”) highlight the power of the storm and capture the still serenity that follows. Little Blue Truck has been chugging along since 2008, but there seems to be plenty of gas left in the tank.
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-85213-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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