  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 04/01/2014 PreS-Gr 1—Through rhyming text and cozy illustrations, readers are brought around the property of a farm and into a house at night to seek out all the sleepyheads. Each animal is glimpsed sleeping or about to fall asleep and each one is solely referred to as a "sleepyhead," thereby encouraging children to name the animals depicted. The book is comprised of full-spread illustrations, rendered in pencil and colored digitally. While the setting is nighttime and it is dark, it is not dreary but rather warm and inviting. A glowing crescent moon is visible with every page turn, and all the sleepyheads are endearing and cuddly. This book will make an excellent addition, especially where pajama storytime is popular.—Emily E. Lazio, The Smithtown Special Library District, NY - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 05/01/2014 Little animals, identified only as sleepyheads, make themselves comfortable in various woodland homes, in the barnyard, and in the house. But in a cozy bedroom, one bed is empty. Out on the moonlit porch, the last little sleepyhead is dozing “in Mama’s arms.” In the softly shaded pencil drawings with digitally added color, touches of white (moon, stars, fireflies, and text) glow brightly against dark backgrounds. As the rhythmic, rhyming text flows on, small children will enjoy naming the plump little animals depicted throughout the book. Most are easily identified, though one (probably a river otter), shown “rocking on a wave” and surrounded by water lilies, looks like a cat, except that it’s sleeping in water. If the title alone isn’t enough to make young children yawn, the repetitive sounds of the text and the dimly lit, rounded forms of sleeping animals have their own soothing, soporific effect. Good bedtime reading for young children. - Copyright 2014 Booklist. Loading...
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