Common Sense Media Review
By Jan Carr
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Cozy, colorful bedtime tale helps kids count.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In TWENTY YAWNS, Lucy's at the beach with her family. She and her parents spend the day playing -- reading under umbrellas, digging in the sand, flying a kite, taking a beach walk. At the end of the long, full day, the mom declares, "Early bedtime!" and then falls asleep reading Lucy her bedtime story, as does the dad. Lucy feels wide awake in the mysterious moonlight and can't fall asleep -- until she fetches her many stuffed animals and tucks them into bed. With one last yawn, she drifts to sleep herself.
Is It Any Good?
This bedtime book by novelist Jane Smiley, illustrated with warm-and-fuzzy coziness by picture-book pro Lauren Castillo, has a simple, time-tested story. At bedtime, everything looks spooky in the moonlight, so Lucy can't fall asleep, but she's able to do so when she snuggles with her stuffed animals. Illustrator Castillo gives readers lots to enjoy visually, wordlessly picturing a multiracial family not referenced in the text, painting the girl and family with warmth and appeal, and having fun with the details -- for instance, the pictures of family members mentioned in the text aren't photos but kid-drawn pictures taped up on the wall, as a family might do in a temporary beach rental.
This is also a counting book, with the 20 yawns in the title sprinkled throughout. Because each yawn is accompanied by the word in color and different type, they're easy to find, and if 20 objects is too many for the target preschool-age readers to count (and not just rattle off by rote), parents and kids can simply try to hunt for them.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about nighttime. Do you ever feel scared at night? What feels spooky? How do you comfort yourself?
Count the yawns. Can you find the word "yawn"? How does it look different from the other words?
Have you been to the beach? What do you like to do there?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Lauren Castillo
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Numbers and Letters
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Two Lions
- Publication date : April 1, 2016
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 3 - 7
- Number of pages : 32
- Available on : Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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