Book Description
for Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy by Denise Fleming
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
The yawning, brown-skinned child on the book jacket sets the tone for yet another bedtime book with a variation on the “Look-how-sleepy-you are!” theme. What makes this one stand out is that the text doesn’t try for subliminal: it’s up-front with its ulterior motive. The lulling narrative points to various baby animals who are “sleepy, oh so sleepy,” only breaking the pattern every few pages to ask “Where’s my sleepy baby?” (With luck, he will not be sprinting across the room.) Somehow, Fleming is able to make her signature illustration style work in this context, even with her bold outlines and bright colors. Each double-page spread features a close-up of a particular baby animal, curled up with its eyes closed. If seeing the droopy eyelids on the baby ostrich doesn’t make a child sleepy, nothing will. (Ages 1–3)
CCBC Choices 2011. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2011. Used with permission.