I Am Not Going to Get Up Today!
A vibrant and direct Seuss title.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that kids will find a comrade-in-sleep in the hero, who sticks to his bed.
Community Reviews
I am not going to get up today,
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What's the Story?
Neither rooster, nor tickle, nor U.S. Marines, nor a big brass band will prevent Dr. Seuss's young hero from sleeping in on this day. This jolly story of the kid who won't get up is a fine display of Seuss's merry, streaming verse, here complemented by James Stevenson's soft-toned but exuberant artwork.
Is It Any Good?
This is a particularly vibrant and direct Seuss title. It steadily gains momentum as the boy defies everything from the birds peeping outside his window to the United State Marines to dislodge him from his comfy nest. As an early reader, it is a success. The wordplay is natural, if not subtle, and each sentence is an invitation to read the next: "The only thing I'm choosing / is to lie here woozy-snoozing. / So won't you kindly go away. / I am NOT going to get up today!" And to hear a 6-year-old chuckling to himself as he reads the pages is proof enough.
James Stevenson is equally natural as an artist for Seuss. He is as frisky as the verse requires, yet the pastel colors of his palette temper the frenzy in a way that make his illustrations soothing to the eye, encouraging extended explorations of the images.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why the boy doesn't want to get up. Why would he want to stay in bed all day? What would he miss out on if he did? Have you ever felt like that?
Book Details
- Author: Dr. Seuss
- Illustrator: James Stevenson
- Genre: For Beginning Readers
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Random House
- Publication date: January 1, 1988
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 7
- Number of pages: 40
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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