Sleepyheads

March 24, 2014
Howatt debuts with a bedtime story that, true to its theme, is quiet and somnolent in tone. An unseen narrator points out a handful of sleeping animals, including a bird in a nest, a squirrel in the hollow of a tree, and a piglet in a barn. Rather than identify the animals, the text refers to each as “sleepyhead,” leaving space for children to provide each creature’s name. The repetitive structure of Howatt’s sturdy rhymed couplets is soothing, if a bit repetitive at times: “Look! I see a sleepyhead snuggled in the reeds./ I see another sleepyhead resting in the weeds.” Wan’s (My Lucky Little Dragon) spare and gentle illustrations are more distinctive, as she portrays the animals in soft, rounded shapes to create an inviting and secure atmosphere. The subdued palette befits the nighttime setting, with glimmers of light provided by a crescent moon, stars, and fireflies. An image of a baby asleep in its mother’s arms brings the book to a sweet close. Ages 4–8. Illustrator’s agent: Teresa Kietlinski, Prospect Agency.

Starred review from April 1, 2014
Sleepyhead readers explore a hushed woodland at dusk, where they discover animals nestled in their cozy places at bedtime. Yawning little listeners will fall immediately and effortlessly into the rhetorical rhythms of this surefire good-night book. Gentle narration, soft exclamations and soothing "s" sounds surface again and again, streaming together sweetly. The earthy, mellow artwork, with its dusky greens and browns and thick linework, comforts too. Wan's many circular shapes (all those radiant stars, the creatures' rounded heads, ears, coiled bodies and tails--even dandelion seed-puffs and a lightning bug's glow) recall the warm curve of a caregiver's chest. Just when heavy-lidded listeners start to shut their eyes, they might notice a watchful crescent moon hovering on every full-bleed, double-page spread, reassuring them that all animals (and people) sleep under a shared sky. After visiting every bed in the forest ("We found all the little ones/ in trees, in holes, in caves./ We found all the sleepyheads/ in weeds, in reeds, on waves"), listeners enter a quiet house looking for one last sleepyhead--a baby already fast asleep in mother's arms. That's if they are still awake. A superb execution of soporific shapes and sounds perfect for the bedside table. (Picture book. 2-6)

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April 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-Through rhyming text and cozy illustrations, readers are brought around the property of a farm and into a house at night to seek out all the sleepyheads. Each animal is glimpsed sleeping or about to fall asleep and each one is solely referred to as a "sleepyhead," thereby encouraging children to name the animals depicted. The book is comprised of full-spread illustrations, rendered in pencil and colored digitally. While the setting is nighttime and it is dark, it is not dreary but rather warm and inviting. A glowing crescent moon is visible with every page turn, and all the sleepyheads are endearing and cuddly. This book will make an excellent addition, especially where pajama storytime is popular.-Emily E. Lazio, The Smithtown Special Library District, NY

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2014
Preschool Little animals, identified only as sleepyheads, make themselves comfortable in various woodland homes, in the barnyard, and in the house. But in a cozy bedroom, one bed is empty. Out on the moonlit porch, the last little sleepyhead is dozing in Mama's arms. In the softly shaded pencil drawings with digitally added color, touches of white (moon, stars, fireflies, and text) glow brightly against dark backgrounds. As the rhythmic, rhyming text flows on, small children will enjoy naming the plump little animals depicted throughout the book. Most are easily identified, though one (probably a river otter), shown rocking on a wave and surrounded by water lilies, looks like a cat, except that it's sleeping in water. If the title alone isn't enough to make young children yawn, the repetitive sounds of the text and the dimly lit, rounded forms of sleeping animals have their own soothing, soporific effect. Good bedtime reading for young children.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)