Sleep Tight, Charlie

Starred review from July 15, 2017
Charlie, a rabbit who loves an established bedtime routine, grows grouchy when noisy animal neighbors disrupt his sleep. Victorian clothes (Charlie even wears his bowler hat to bed!), dreary colors (cardboard browns, cement grays, faded blues), and antique objects (an iron bed, a Victrola, keyed roller skates) describe the rabbit's quirky, austere lifestyle--one perhaps unsuited for intrusion or surprise. Just when Charlie finishes preparing for bed, doing the things he always does, in order, (glass of water on his bedside table, slippers on the rug, monster check under the bed, teddy-bear hug, one eye closed, then the other) a thunderous "TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP" jolts him awake. It's Bird hammering on trees (with a hammer)--then it's Squirrel crunching nuts, then Mouse squeaking on the swings. Double-page spreads with only the enormous, block-letter, onomatopoeic words stretching their length make the volume and intensity of the interruptions clear. Soon Charlie's routine is hopelessly jumbled. Charlie's eyes grow smudgy and ringed with dark circles. His rage mounts. Children involved with their own bedtime rituals will enjoy following the incremental dismantling of Charlie's. Voicing Charlie's confrontations with his neighbors and amping up the animals' annoying sounds make for a delightful ruckus and funny read-aloud. Sooty illustrations, dark humor, and deft pacing place this book on top of the stack. (Picture book. 3-6)

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July 1, 2017
Preschool-G Following an activity-filled day, Charlie, a rabbit, is getting ready for bed. He puts his water glass on the nightstand and his slippers on the rug; he checks beneath the bed for monsters, and hugs his teddy bear tight. But sleep's short-lived on this noisy night. First, tap, tap, tap: a bird is nailing pictures to a tree. Then, Squirrel is crunching nuts, and Mouse rides a creaky swing. Each time Charlie chides the noisy creature, he performs his routine again, which invariably becomes more comically mixed-up as his exhaustion grows. Finally it's quiet enough for Charlie to get to sleep, but will his snores keep someone else awake? Di Giacomo's richly textured illustrations in a muted palette depict expressive, quirky animals and scenarios and include subtle, witty story-enhancing details, from Charlie balancing objects from his busy day to the concluding reveal of a not-too-scary sleepless monster. Varying perspectives, text formatting, sound effects, and repetitive elements in the lively, descriptive narrative lend further humor and pep to this amusing bedtime tale.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)