The Sleepy Little Alphabet: A Bedtime Story from Alphabet Town [Hardcover]

Judy Sierra (Author), Melissa Sweet (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up

A fun read-aloud for little ones who are learning their ABCs.

It's sleepy time in Alphabet Town. But the twenty-six little letters of the alphabet all have something they need—or want—to do before big-letter moms and dads tuck them in. Not since the classsic Chicka Chicka Boom Boom has there been such an appealing way to teach the youngest child the ABCs while providing a one-minute goodnight story. Of course, Melissa Sweet’s animated watercolor, pencil, and collage illustrations may beg for a little more time to match up all the toys with the right letters, and Judy Sierra’s rollicking rhymed story will want to be heard again and again. Okay, so maybe it’s a three-minute story!

Editorial Reviews

Review

Starred Review, The Horn Book Magazine, July & August 2009:
“Using humor perfectly tuned for the two- to five-year-old audience, Sierra and Sweet’s alphabet book will capture the attention of the younger end . . . as well as the older.’”

About the Author

Judy Sierra’s knack at telling stories in rhyme is impressively demonstrated in her E. B.White Read-Aloud Award winner, Wild About Books; in Born to Read; and in Thelonius Monster’s Sky-High Fly Pie. She lives in Eugene, Oregon.

Melissa Sweet is the illustrator of many acclaimed children’s books, including her collaboration with Judy Sierra on Schoolyard Rhymes. She is also the author and illustrator of Carmine: A Little More Red. She lives in Rockport, Maine.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (June 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375840028
• ISBN-13: 978-0375840029
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 0.4 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Too cute!, June 10, 2009

By 

J. Bellucci (Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sleepy Little Alphabet: A Bedtime Story from Alphabet Town (Hardcover)

This is a great book to read to the kids at bedtime. Its got great illustrations...and is absolutely adorable that the capital letters (mom & dad) put the baby letters (lowercase) to sleep...how stinkin' cute! ;) A definite must have for those that like ABC and bedtime books...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Splendid Alphabet Book, September 29, 2009

By 

Gwynne C. Spencer (Mancos, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sleepy Little Alphabet: A Bedtime Story from Alphabet Town (Hardcover)

Every kid in the whole world will tell you that Capital Letters are the most important because they are the "grownup" letters. That's why kindergarteners persist in printing in all caps to start with, I betcha. In this likable little lullaby book, the Grownup Letters are trying to get their rambunctious offspring into bed. This delightful book would be greatly loved in every preschool classroom or kindergarten as a pre-naptime read-aloud. Judy Sierra's sparse tight rhyme combines with stunningly childlike illustrations by Melissa Sweet. Check out her website at [...] where you'll find a terrific concentration game kids will love. Sweet's illustrations personify each "little letter" as the child of its "big daddy or momma" letter most charmingly. On the endplates, the letters, big and little, are easily identified as belonging to each other by color, composition, texture, all except the X which I suppose will always be a bit of an odd one. The sense of aliveness of the letters permeates the pages which are solid color on the left, scene-filled on the right, making this a perfect beginning-to-read title for those early readers who need big type on an uncluttered background. It is inherently charming to see adjacent letters of the alphabet enjoying their lives together, something I never thought of, but of course it makes sense. They spend so much time together, you know. Each rollicking picture includes objects related by their beginning letter to at least one of the letters in the scene; undoubtedly the favorite page will be "u" taking off his underwear. Eventually all the little letters successfully settle down to sleep but the reader feels a nagging urge to read it again, just for fun. What a great addition to the alphabet book genre! At [...] you'll find a short educational guide to The Sleepy Little Alphabet as well as her other wildly popular picture books

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Way to Learn the ABCs, July 12, 2009

By 

Julie Peterson "Booking Mama" (Central PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sleepy Little Alphabet: A Bedtime Story from Alphabet Town (Hardcover)

I'm not sure who liked this book better, me or my son! THE SLEEPY LITTLE ALPHABET by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Melissa Sweet is just the cutest darn book that I've seen in a long time. I couldn't wait to read it to my son; and as soon as we finished the book, we went back and looked at all of the pictures again. I'm certain that it's going to be a new favorite for us.

THE SLEEPY LITTLE ALPHABET is an ideal bedtime book. The basic idea is that each of the letters in the alphabet are getting ready to go to bed. For example, the letter B "still has a bath to take" and the letter T "tucks in her teddy bear." The story goes through each letter in the alphabet until all of the letters are sound asleep in their own beds. It is just too adorable. I think the book will help to get your child into the mindset of sleep (as much as any book can.)

This book is a quick read and I can almost promise that your child will stay interested the entire time. There story is pretty catchy since it does rhyme, and there are just a few big words on each page. What really makes this book extra-special are the illustrations -- they are just beautiful. I don't know if you can tell with the small picture of the book at the beginning of this review, but each letter has a funny-little face and lots of colors and patterns. Every page in this book is cuter than the next, and I love how the illustrator even managed to capture facial expressions on the little letters. There is a lot going on in each picture and I think children will keep noticing new things every time they pick up the book.

As a mother, I absolutely loved the story, but I also thought it was terrific that this book teaches children their ABCs. I thought it was just so cute that the children letters were lowercase, and the parent letters were the capitals. What I especially liked is that the text in the book referenced the letters in their lowercase form which are often times more difficult for children to learn. This story is so entertaining that kids might not even realize that you are working on their letters with them.

In fact when my son and I read this book, I make him say the letters that appear in the text -- it's kind of like a read-a-long for us. He likes participating and I like that he is practicing his lowercase letters. He thought this book was terrific and he laughed a lot when I read it the first time. Of course, his favorite parts were the letter U who "takes off his underwear" and the letters O and P who "upset the potty" (he is a boy for sure because anything potty related is hilarious.) He also liked the letter Q who is "quiet as a bunny." I was shocked when we talked about this story how much he remembered about the various letters and their bedtime activities.

I can't recommend this book enough. It is absolutely perfect for the toddler or preschooler in your life. It has already been named the winner of the 20209 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio. This book is available on June 9th, so make sure you order your copy today. You and your child will not be disappointed!