Stop That Yawn!

August 6, 2018
Gabby Wild has a missing tooth, brown skin, and beaded “click-clacky hair,” and she has had it with sleep. She convinces her grandmother to take her to Never Sleeping City, where neon lights blink, the streets hop with revelers, and everyone stays up all night long. But somehow, on the Ferris wheel, Granny yawns—and yawns, of course, are contagious. “Grit your teeth, seal your lips!” Gabby cries, as the misty blue yawn flies into the night and people start dropping off in its wake. Dashing through the town after it, Gabby makes a ruckus, hijacks an opera performance, and collars the mayor, but it’s no use. Before long, the unthinkable has happened, and Gabby is exhaling zzz’s. Text by Levis (Ida, Always) crackles, and show-stopping artwork by Pham (Grace for President) is great fun. In affectionate homage to In the Night Kitchen (and maybe to Little Nemo before it), Gabby pilots her own plane into panels of dreamlike urban landscapes filled with carnival characters and vaudevillian antics; other picture book Easter eggs await. Ages 4–8.

September 1, 2018
Like many children, Gabby Wild has absolutely had enough of the tedious rituals of bedtime. Gabby asks her grandmother to take her to Never Sleeping City, and without a word of protest, inquiry, or declaration, Granny agrees. In this imagined place, there are no lullabies, no sheep to count, and the No Sleeping Inn, where "our lights are always on." Granny and Gabby head to the carnival, and as they ride on a coffee-mug Ferris wheel, it begins to happen...Granny starts to yawn. Gabby soon learns that once a yawn starts, there's little to prevent it, and before they know it, Granny's yawn is swirling all over the city, affecting all who come in its path. To her horror, the brown-skinned protagonist with thick free-form locs has only one place left to turn: "YOU." In an interactive twist, Gabby asks readers not to fall asleep--after all, "This is NOT a bedtime story!" But it's far too late; the yawn has proven itself effective not only on readers, but on the protagonist as well. Though the story is set at night, the Sendak-ian artwork remains bright with pops of color that give a buoyancy to the city and its memorable inhabitants, who are both human and animal. In one scene a gorilla and a black man walk side by side holding ice cream cones, an image that may lift some eyebrows.The lively portrayal more than makes up for the most extended yawn depicted in a picture book. (Picture book. 5-8)

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October 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 2-Gabby Wild is sick of Sleepytown. So, when it's time for bed, she begs her granny to take her some place awake! Instead of settling down, the two jet out to Never Sleeping City, a bustling metropolis with a band, an opera, and even a carnival. Gabby and Granny have a blast exploring the sights-until Granny lets loose a yawn that travels through the town. Gabby chases after it, trying to stop the yawn before it puts everyone in Never Sleeping City out of commission. But each time the yawn sweeps through a part of the town, its residents are left snoring. Levis has created a thoroughly engaging bedtime read that will have little ones fighting back yawns of their own, and Pham's illustrations are an excellent accompaniment. Gabby leaps off the page in pursuit of the soothing blue yawn that turns the bustling and busy streets of Never Sleeping City cozy and calm. With a combination of eye-catching illustrations and entertaining text, this engaging picture book is a fantastic read-aloud that encourages plenty of participation. VERDICT Snap it up for pajama storytime or for bedtime reads displays or shelves.-Mimi Powell, Library Systems and Services, Kissimmee, FL

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2018
Preschool-G Gabby Wild is in a tooth-gnashing frenzy. She's got to prevent the people in Sleepytown from going to bed, because snuggling and snoring is such a bore. With Granny in tow, she jets off to keep downtown from settling down and uptown up. Despite her determined plans, Granny opens wide and her yawn is on the loose! Gabby enlists the animals' Midnight Marching Band to toot and blare; she sings, shouts, stomps, and fusses, but still the city gets cozy and quiet and peaceful. In a hilarious close-up, she looks directly at the reader, saying: YOU are NOT sleepy, right? Grit your teeth, seal your lips! Whatever you do, don't you dare?YAWN! At book's end, while Granny snuggles her cozily, Gabby parties all night in the land of her wildest dreams. The busy digitally colored panels rendered in coquille and india ink show imagined frenetic activities. Appealing, dark-skinned Gabby is well dressed in the red dress, headband and riotous mop of hair that fits her energetic personality.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)