THE GREAT BIG YAWN
by Margaret Clowater and Eleanor Clowater ; illustrated by Rachel Shead
A contagious yawn makes its way through the zoo in sisters Margaret Clowater and Eleanor Clowater’spicture book.
A girl visits the zoo with her dad, and while looking at a fawn, she narrates, “I couldn’t help it, I let out a little yawn. The fawn saw me yawn, and let out a little one too!” Then a kangaroo, a bunny, a stork, an ant, and a swan all yawn in sequence—and then the girl does so again. Finally, the sun sets and it’s time to go home. The unnamed, pale-skinned protagonist narrates in rhyming couplets. Every second page contains a few lines of text on a grassy, green background, set beside a full-page illustration of animals, the girl, and her father. Shead’s full-color illustrations are simple, depicting the sky in various shades of blue, yellow, and red to show the gentle transition to evening. Although the rhymes sometimes feel contrived, but they read as sweet as the girl voices them: “The lion came along and it was getting ready to roar, but instead he yawned, right by the door.” At the end, a set of questions about various animals ends with “Did you yawn while reading?” The minimalist presentation, unfussy images, and steady singsong rhythm of the prose have a soothing quality that may calm younger readers.
A charming and relaxing bedtime story.