Sleepy Time

by Gyo Fujikawa (Illustrator)

Overview

Babies yawning, babies bathing, babies sweetly slumbering: day is done and its time for bed, in this brand new board edition of Gyo Fujikawas classic book. Fujikawas gorgeous illustrations contrast the childrens nighttime rituals with the horse that sleeps standing up, the lazy sloth that snoozes upside down, and animals that doze the winter away.
 Parents and children will find this book a lovely way to say “good night.”
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781402768200
Publisher:	Union Square Kids
Publication date:	03/01/2011
Pages:	20
Sales rank:	380,825
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	AD300L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Gyo Fujikawa (1908–1999) made a career in the advertising world and also enjoyed a lengthy stint at the Walt Disney Studios where she designed the large book version of Fantasia. In 1957, she illustrated her first picture book, A Child’s Garden of Verses. Many others followed, some of which she also wrote. Babies, published in 1963, stands as a landmark: it was the first children’s book to depict infants of all races and nations sharing growing experiences. Fujikawa’s books have been translated into 17 languages and are read in more than 22 countries.

Editorial Reviews

The complex journey from wakefulness to sleep pushes through some dozing dips along the way.

A handful of ethnically diverse youngsters prepare for their nightly rest by following a standard routine. They snuggle happily into several beds, but one child finds that rest is elusive. A worried, wide-eyed insomniac leans back against an equally wakeful canine cohort and observes that "Sometimes it can be hard to fall asleep." The narrative voice abruptly shifts to describe various human bedtime conditions ("You could try sleeping on the floor. Some people do, you know") to those in the animal realm. A quickly realized resolution finds day breaking as a rumpled youngster greets the sun anew. The adorable tots hearken back to an earlier (and idealized) era, depicted in cozy interior details, though the text denotes no specified time or place. Nightly slumber turns to outdoor play in the wordier (and at times meandering)Surprise! Surprise!

These 1970s-era publications produce slightly wandering narratives and are far from the best realized, developmentally engaged presentations available to youngest listeners.(Board book. 2-4)

Kirkus Reviews