  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 08/01/2012 PreS-Gr 1—Charming watercolor-and-ink illustrations combine with a meandering, singsong text in this lovely bedtime book. Lucy can't sleep, even after counting various animals, wiggling her fingers and toes, and scratching her itches. She gets out of bed, puts on a sweater, and amuses herself by looking for her misplaced toys, sliding down the banister, checking out the fridge, having a snack, sitting on the porch swing, hugging her dog, and playing dress up, until finally she is tired enough to "slip into bed, and sleep 'til dawn." Overlook the fact that most young children are not this comfortable or self-sufficient alone late at night; nor are parents likely to sleep through a child's wanderings about the house, not to mention outside. Instead, focus on the warm, cozy flow of the text, which sometimes rhymes and sometimes doesn't, is sometimes busy and other times quiet, and ultimately lures readers into a peaceful, restful place. The artwork is precious in the best sense, starring a pink-faced child whose minimal features consist simply of black dots for eyes and nose, and a red line for a mouth. Cool pastel colors keep the nighttime dark but never scary, not counting when her black dog chases a black squirrel from behind a black tree in the yard. The picture of Lucy cozied up on the porch swing under a harvest moon with a radio playing close by is enough to make anyone want to go to bed. A wonderful book to cuddle up with when it's almost time to sleep.—Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library - Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 09/02/2012 Schwartz depicts the snug nocturnal world of a wide-awake girl as she occupies herself with searching for toys, raiding the fridge, swinging in the backyard, and playing dress up. The auburn-haired, button-eyed young lady doesn’t seem to be bothered by her insomnia, and with so many fun things to do, who can blame her? Actually, it’s no wonder Lucy can’t get some shut-eye, as every light in the house appears to be on. Each scene, set on square pages, is warmly rendered in black ink and sherbet colors, with a bright moon shining in the night sky. Unfortunately, the irregularities of the verse’s rhyming and pacing are frustrating, especially when read aloud: “Strawberry shortcake, / Just a bite. / Chocolate pudding, / Quiet night,” is followed by “A quiet room, / In a quiet house, / A squeaky door, / The back porch.” Still, the book’s quaintness and coziness will attract children and may lull them off to sleep at last. - Copyright 2012 Booklist. Bulletin for the Center... - 10/01/2012 Little Lucy can’t sleep. She tries counting sheep, and when that fails she tries counting “baby otters,/ Mountain goats,/ Kangaroos,/ Sailing boats,” but to no avail. She then gets up and, after searching for and finding her dolly and stuffed bear, tries having a snack, swinging on the back-porch swing, and playing a little dress-up before finally falling asleep in her bed. The combination of rhymed couplets and compact unrhymed text is a little jarring, but there’s a cozy, safe simplicity to both Schwartz’s text and her illustrations that makes this an appealingly quiet and somnolent story. Schwartz’s line and watercolor illustrations are pleasantly homey, and the slightly muted tones and frequent framing of smaller spot illustrations with a page-filling bubble of dark blue lend an appropriately nocturnal air to Lucy’s proceedings. Although a few of the interior scenes are a little overpatterned, Lucy is drafted with appealing simplicity (she has the same sweet, round face and minimal features as her rag doll), and her actions are depicted with a warm and easy grace. This would make a snug addition to a bedtime or small-group storytime lineup. JH - Copyright 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Loading...
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