William Wakes Up

February 1, 2019

PreS-Gr 1-A silly and joyful celebration of spring and friendship. It's finally spring, and although William is up and ready to move, his four animal friends are feeling a little more lethargic. One by one, and with much coaxing and pleading from William, they slowly roll out of bed and join the preparation, until finally, just one friend remains. With not much time remaining before their special guest arrives, the other animals are feeling slightly miffed at raccoon's reluctance to help out. Will they be ready for their special guest? And will they share the fruits of their labor with their one reluctant companion? Warm, delicate pencil illustrations are a perfect complement to the sweet rhyming text. The repeating refrain and the animal countdown add much appeal to this as a group read-aloud choice. Reminiscent of the "Little Red Hen," this is a great book to encourage helping and sharing or for any child who isn't feeling quite ready to emerge into a bright new spring. VERDICT Purchase for fans of the author's William's Winter Nap or pair it with any one of the "Bear" books by Karma Wilson for a fun and raucous storytime.-Laken Hottle, Providence Community Library

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2019
A young boy and his animal friends awaken from a long winter's nap and prepare to welcome a special guest.William looks out the window of his forest cabin to a dawning, blooming world. Calling to the hibernating animals who share his bed, he says, "Wake up! It's spring! / Today's the day-- / a special guest is on the way." Only Chipmunk answers the call initially, and the two bake together until they realize the job is too big for just them. William returns to the bed, calling the other animals one by one to come assist in the cleaning and decorating. When "special guest" Bluebird finally arrives--and after sluggard Raccoon agrees to help Bluebird build its nest--they finally sit down to a spring picnic. The animals wake in a similar order to how they settled in during Ashman and Groenink's previous book, William's Winter Nap (2017). And as with that title, the countdown and the rhyming text with a repeating chorus make this an ideal read-aloud for young listeners. The mostly mono- and bisyllabic vocabulary lends a simple elegance to the tale. Earth tones keep the pencil-and-Photoshop illustrations warm and cozy, and additional feelings of familiarity arise from the drafting style, which is reminiscent of mid-20th-century illustration. Prominent pencil marks are grainy and natural, complementing the woodsy story setting. William has pale skin and straight, black hair.A classic-feeling, homey celebration of spring's beginning. (Picture book. 2-5)

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2019
Preschool-G At the end of William's Winter Nap? (2017), the boy (William) settles down to sleep in the chair beside his bed, squeezed out by the weary woodland animals who begged for winter shelter. In this sequel, William wakes up and realizes, It's spring! Hurrying to clean his house and bake a cake before an old friend arrives, he attempts to waken the slumbering animals. One by one, Chipmunk, Porcupine, Groundhog, and Bear rouse themselves to help William with chores, while lazy Raccoon pretends to snooze. After Bluebird taps on the door, Raccoon finally rises, apologizing for his laziness and clearly hoping for cake. Ashman, a picture-book writer with the happy knack of making rhymed, rhythmic couplets sound completely natural, sets up a pattern within the story and uses a refrain to underscore it, while moving the narrative forward in a pleasing way. In the digitally enhanced, shaded-pencil illustrations, Groenink sets the scenes simply but beautifully, while giving each character a bit of personality. An appealing picture book for spring.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)