 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
So Sleepy Story
- By Uri Shulevitz
- Genre: Picture Book
Common Sense Media says
Kids won't tire of whimsical bedtime story.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that nothing objectionable is presented in this gentle, comforting picture book. Some may find the shadowy depictions of the sleepy world a bit dark and creepy, but most will think them dreamy and artistic.
What's the story?
The whole house and the world around it is asleep until music drifts in, waking first the tables and chairs, the dishes, the cat, and then the boy. Everything begins to dance though the boy only listens...until the music softly drifts away and, peacefully, the world goes back to sleep.
Is it any good?
Soft-sounding words and whimsical drawings create a comforting nighttime world in this wonderfully artistic book. Kids will enjoy the gentle repetition of simple language and alliterative sounds coupled with drawings reminiscent of Mother Goose books. Kids will also enjoy the message: Even when the boy is awakened by music floating through his window, he isn't jarred, but just listens until the music drifts away. This book might help reassure kids who are having trouble with their own nighttime sleep.
The playful and original illustrations carry the plot, which is more poem than story. Clever details fill the pages, and color shifts to show the sleeping world as opposed to the awakening one. This book is playful and fun yet gentle and soothing -- a great choice for a bedtime story.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how it feels to go to sleep at night, how it feels to wake up when everyone else is asleep, and what sounds can be heard when the rest of the world is quiet. They might talk about dreams or bedtime routines. They could also talk about color and music: What colors or sounds are sleepy, and which are active and awake?
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| Author: | Uri Shulevitz |
| Illustrator: | Uri Shulevitz |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Picture Book |
| Publisher: | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Publication date: | August 11, 2006 |
| Number of pages: | 32 |
| Hardcover price: | $16.00 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 3 - 6 |
| Read aloud: | 3 |
| Read alone: | 5 |
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