I'm Not Sleepy [Hardcover]

Denys Cazet (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

A bedtime story told by a father and starring his wide-eyed son on a moon voyage that is too exciting (and funny) to have quite the desired effect. Full-color illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2 --Alex's father has a sure cure for insomnia. He embarks on a ``no-matter-how-wide-awake-you-are-I-can-make-you-sleepy'' story that takes a boy just like his son on a long, (hopefully) exhausting journey through a ``boily-boily jungle,'' up a ``pooa, pooa tree,'' to the moon and back. Alex interrupts on occasion, but dad never skips a beat. The thrilling adventure, complete with a breathless chase and a soothing flight through the heavens, should have provided ample fodder for sweet dreams. Alex snuggles down, yet despite repeated suggestions that he is getting ``very, very tired,'' he outlasts his fictional counterpart. The warm, loving relationship between father and son is clearly evident in the text and the soft realististic watercolors. The tropical scenes and nocturnal skyscapes are lush, rich, and completely nonthreatening. Even the toothy ``thingamajig'' is really harmless. The juxtaposition of the full-page, larger-than-life dream sequences with the framed bedroom scenes bordered by night sky are very effective. This is Cazet at his best; he has taken an age-old theme and given it fresh, humorous enchantment.
-Luann Toth, School Library Journal
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Father shapes a bedtime story to wakeful Alex's comments. He begins with a boy (pictured as Alex) walking in the jungle; but when the boy closes ``his weary eyes,'' Alex pops up: ``The boily, boily jungle made me thirsty.'' So it goes, until Father finally captures Alex's full attention with a trip to the moon, with the boy followed by a mild-looking but many-horned ``thingamajig.'' This time, when the boy makes his way back home to bed, Alex, too, is ready to call it a night. A jacket photo suggests that Father is the author's self-portrait, while Alex also bears a strong family resemblance. The improvised story is authentically haphazard; meanwhile, the book is a model of creative interplay between parent and child, a theme beautifully extended in the illustrations. The more formally bordered bedroom scenes include a toy dog that joins Alex in Father's story; the story-within-the story illustrations are imaginative, dreamlike. Like Angela Johnson's Tell Me a Story, Mama, an unusually perceptive portrayal of healthy interaction. (Picture book. 3-7) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 29 pages
• Publisher: Orchard Books (NY); 1St Edition edition (March 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531058980
• ISBN-13: 978-0531058985
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,691,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What bedtime is really about, January 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: I'm Not Sleepy (Hardcover)

This book looks at the humor involved in putting one's child to bed. A father attempts to put his child to bed all the while making up an amusing story. The child takes the made up tale to new hights and every word becomes a suggestion. It is a fairly short story so it keeps everyone entertained for just the right length of time. It is also a story that is written to delight the both the child and the parent. My child loved this book like no other.