sleep – Mom Read It

Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Intermediate, Middle Grade, Non-fiction, Non-Fiction

Jackson’s Wilder Adventures 2: Dentistry and Dreams

Posted on April 11, 2025April 10, 2025 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Jackson’s Wilder Adventures Vol. 2: Dentistry and Dreams, by Sarah Davidson, (June 2025, Papercutz), $9.99, ISBN: 9781545818350

Ages 6-10

Jackson and his dad have moved from their house into a smaller apartment and are enjoying a quick lunch after unpacking when Jackson realizes he’s got a loose tooth! As he starts stressing about losing a tooth, his imaginary thylacine friend Irwin takes him on a journey to meet animals who loose dozens of teeth, from Nile crocodiles to bull sharks; he even gets to see the capybara, an animal who has to file its teeth down because they never stop growing. When Jackson’s tooth finally falls out, he asks Irwin to show him animals who sleep to help him fall asleep as he waits for the Tooth Fairy; Irwin takes Jackson to visit Yakushima Island in Japan, where they encounter the Ussuri Tube-Nosed Bat, who sleeps through the winter in a deep sleep called torpor; the Kenai Fjords in Alaska, where they see a Wood Frog, who can can create a protective film that keeps their internal organs safe as they freeze into a layer of ice for the winter, and Joshua Tree National Park, where they discover the Little Pocket Mouse, who also enters torpor to sleep. It’s a fun and educational look at animals and habitats, with activities like mazes and rebuses throughout.

Jackson’s Wilder Adventures is a fun graphic novel series that combines fiction and nonfiction with great success. Jackson and Irwin are illustrated as cartoon characters, but the animals and habitats are drawn more realistically, making this a good graphic novel series to keep in your collections.

Toddler Reads

A Pair of Board Books for Sleepy Readers

Posted on January 24, 2025January 23, 2025 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Don’t let a stuffed animal sleepover program go by without some cute books on hand! Here are a couple I’ve been enjoying.

Oh So Sleepy Head to Toe, Illustrated by Maria Gabriela Gama, (Jan. 2025, Cartwheel Books), $8.99, ISBN: 9781546139409

Ages Birth-3

A group of sleepy animals are tucked in and ready for bed. Readers can smooth Little Pup’s blanket; pat Little Bunny’s velvety ears, and give Little Chick a kiss goodnight as they prepare fto go to sleep. Each spread features a young animal getting ready to sleep, with a patch of textile that lets readers touch and soothe themselves as part of a bedtime routine. Each spread lets readers join in wishing the animals good night: “Goodnight, Bunny! Goodnight, Pup!” Colorful illustrations show drowsy animals comfortable in cozy bedding. Short and sweet, with easy-to-read text, this is a heartwarming way to bring the day to a close. The soft textures help soothe young readers as they head off to sleep. A very cute addition to board book collections; you may want a Storytime Reference copy for yourself.

Can I Sleep Here? Baby Monkey, by Ella Bailey, (Jan. 2025, Flying Eye Books), $9.99, ISBN: 9781838742218

Ages Birth-3

The sun is setting and it’s time for Baby Monkey to go to sleep. Where to go, though? Baby Monkey stops at a bushy branch, a leafy plant, and a nesting hole, but there’s always another family sleeping there. Will Baby Monkey find a place to bed down for the night? Flaps reveal different animals in the potential sleeping areas; the story follows a question-and-answer pattern on each spread, with Baby Monkey’s repeated question, “Can I sleep here?” acting as the nudge for readers to lift the flap and discover who’s sleeping in the spot. The latest in a new board book series, Can I Sleep Here? Baby Monkey is the companion to Can I Sleep Here? Baby Dolphin (2024). Animals have expressive faces and the flaps are sturdy and will hold up to multiple reads. A fun new animal series for board book collections.

picture books, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

Ready, Set, Sleep! The World Sleep Championship of Animals is on!

Posted on June 26, 2023June 25, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The World Sleep Championship of Animals, by Daniel Napp, (March 2023, Kane Miller), $15.99, ISBN: 9781684644964

Ages 4-8

Set in a game show sleeping competition, this bedtime story may have readers laughing too hard to go to bed… but it’s an excellent Pajama Storytime choice! Viktor Frog is your host and Heinz Boar is your judge as they put five animals to the test: can they fall asleep in the wackiest conditions? Who will sleep through the loud construction, steamy sauna, or raucous roller coaster challenges? Read like a sportscaster narrative, this amusing story will keep readers giggling as they see the animals doze off or stay awake in a frazzled panic. A scoreboard pops up throughout the story, providing a good opportunity for a feltboard storytime and some counting and predicting skills. Colorful cartoony artwork is kid-friendly and the animals are expressive, allowing readers to connect with them. Who hasn’t tried to sleep in complete silence and found themselves wanting? We’ve all been either too hot or too cold to fall asleep, so you’ll find readers who can relate. A good purchase for a fun readaloud.

picture books, Preschool Reads

Let’s Get Sleepy! plays seek and find up ’till bedtime

Posted on February 25, 2021February 24, 2021 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Let’s Get Sleepy!, by Tony Cliff, (Aug. 2020, Imprint), $17.99, ISBN: 9781250307842

Ages 3-6

A group of kittens are trying to track down a mouse they call wee Sleepy, the Prince of the Night. Where can he be? This adorable seek-and-find adventure does double duty as a rhyming bedtime story that will have your Kiddos joining the kittens in their search for Sleepy. Searching their neighborhood block, a weekend parade, the beach, Mount Snow, even a swamp, slug caves, and the moon, Sleepy always manages to stay ahead of the kittens – will Sleepy stay ahead of your Kiddos? Tony Cliff, the author-illustrator of the Delilah Dirk graphic novel series, is an Eisner, Shuster, and Harvey award nominee and brings his talent for creating fun, fast-paced cartooning to this children’s adventure. The crowd scenes have movement and a sense of delightful play, and the rhyming text has repetitive phrases like, “Is this where he’ll be? We’ll search and we’ll seek and we’ll ask friends that we meet”, and – naturally – “Let’s Get Sleepy!”, that encourage readers to chime in along with you as you’re reading. You ask them to guess if the cats will find him on the next spread, or where he could be hiding – and then seek him out. An amusing brainteaser for bedtime, Let’s Get Sleepy is a nice addition to smaller storytime groups (or virtual storytimes) and bedtime reading.

Publisher Macmillan has a free, downloadable activity kit with instructions on making a felt bed for Sleepy, a Make Your Bedtime checklist, and more!

picture books, Preschool Reads

Bedtime stories to cuddle and giggle by: Sleep and Just Because

Posted on October 21, 2019October 21, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Bedtime story time is always a great way to bring a day to a close. It’s cuddle time, you’re winding things down, and sometimes, you can lull yourself to sleep with a good, calming story. They can be funny, they can be silly, they can be sweet; most of all they allow you to share some much needed downtime with your kiddos. Here are two recent ones I’ve been enjoying with my kiddo.

Sleep: How Nature Gets Its Rest, by Kate Prendergast, (Sept. 2019, Candlewick), $16.99, ISBN: 9781536207989

Ages 4-7

Animals sleep, just like we do, but some animals sleep very differently. Dogs and cats sleep curled up… when they aren’t playing; giraffes sleep standing up; meerkats sleep in a heap, and fish swim while they sleep and don’t close their eyes! Sleep: How Nature Gets its Rest is a quiet book on how different animals sleep, beautifully illustrated with muted mixed media. The brief text makes for calm, soothing bedtime reading, and the one-two sentences per page makes this a good choice for emerging readers with an interest in animals during waking hours, too. A concluding note asks readers if they think animals dream, giving them something to ponder as they fall asleep. Back matter offers more information on each of the animals who appear in the book, and websites for more reading about animal habits.

What a sweet way to fall asleep.

Just Because, by Mac Barnett/Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault, (Sept. 2019, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9780763696801

Ages 4-8

Parents will appreciate this book just as much as the kids do. It’s bedtime, but a little girl is not ready for bed yet: there are too many questions to be answered! “Why is the ocean blue? What is the rain? Why do the leaves change color?” One question leads to another in this story that many, many parents and caregivers will recognize. The responses will make you laugh even harder, because this caregiver has a sense of creative humor with his answers. Just Because is an invitation to the imagination for parents and kids alike, and is an instantly recognizable, tongue-in-cheek recreation of bedtime and its many delays. Isabelle Arsenault’s gouache, pencil, and watercolor artwork is minimal in color, with pale color to pages for emphasis, and wonderfully brings each answer to life: we have dinosaurs strapped to giant balloons and birds, warming themselves by a matchstick that blooms into an autumn leaf. Let this book guide you the next time you’re tempted to respond, “Just because” to a child’s question. Don’t miss this one.

Mac Barnett is a Caldecottt Honor-winning, award-winning, children’s book author who (along with being one of my favorites) creates hilarious, thoughtful, and often whimsical stories for kids.

Just Because has starred reviews from School Library Journal and Kirkus.

picture books, Preschool Reads

Mother Earth’s Lullaby sings us all to sleep

Posted on December 18, 2018December 18, 2018 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Mother Earth’s Lullaby: A Song for Endangered Animals, by Terry Pierce/Illustrated by Carol Heyer, (Oct. 2018, Tilbury House), $17.95, ISBN: 9780884485575

Ages 3-6

A gentle rhyme set to painted illustrations of animals parents (including humans), Mother Earth’s Lullaby leads readers through bedtime in nature. Beginning and ending with a human mother and her two children (and cat), reading a bedtime story on the couch, spreads show different animal parents with their babies: panda and cub cuddle in bamboo leaves; a condor lies over its chick; polar bear cubs cuddle on their mother in their den; owlets take refuge in a tree. But for the humans, each group of animals depicted is endangered.

The story doesn’t really focus on endangered animals, per se; it’s up to readers and educators/caregivers to explain that these animals are endangered. The story suggests that even endangered animals feel safe in their dens while they sleep, next to their parents, who care for them and keep them safe. The paintings are realistic and will appeal to readers, and the rhyme, while not always even, makes for sweet bedtime reading. Back matter includes descriptions of each featured animal, a word on endangered animals and how readers can help with recovery efforts. This one is a nice additional purchase for storytime books.

Animal Fiction, picture books, Preschool Reads

Dormouse is afraid to sleep alone… do you have space for him?

Posted on April 9, 2018 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Dormouse and His Seven Beds, by Susanna Isern/Illustrated by Marco Somà, (April 2018, NubeOcho), $16.95, ISBN: 978-84-946926-6-6

Toddler fun with Little Billy-Bob and friends

Posted on November 20, 2016November 20, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

I’ve enjoyed Pauline Oud’s board books for little ones; she always has such adorable faces on her cartoony toddlers. Clavis Books has just released two more in her Little Billy-Bob series – numbers 3 and 4, I believe – and they’re great for toddlers and their favorite grownups to snuggle up and read together.

Little Billy-Bob Eats It All Up (Nov. 2016, $12.95, 978-1605372969) stars Little Billy-Bob, in his ever-present footie pajama set and animal eared-hood, and his friend, Fifi, similarly dressed. The two friends are playing together when their tummies start rumbling: it’s time to eat! Together, the two eat a healthy lunch and notice their happy bellies fill up.

Little Billy-Bob goes through his bedtime ritual: brushing his teeth, climbing out of his bed to say goodnight to the moon, his pets, and his toys in Good Night, Little Billy-Bob (Nov. 2016, $12.95, 978-1605372952).

Toddlers will see themselves in Little Billy-Bob (and Fifi!) as they go through rituals that toddlers are beginning to master on their own: feeding themselves; drinking water from a cup; brushing teeth, and getting ready for bed. Each book begins with the same rhyme, opposite Little Billy-Bob reading his own book, and invites readers to curl up in a lap and enjoy reading and cuddle time. Both books also offer questions throughout the book, helping readers further engage their little ones: Can you brush your teeth just like little Billy-Bob? Do you see the moon, too? Do you see their empty tummies too Do you think they should eat something? These questions are fun springboards for questions of your own; I like to use questions that have kids incorporate their own experiences. For instance, “Remember when your belly growled this morning? Did you eat breakfast when your tummy grumbled?”

Each story ends with a counting summary of the story subject: “One slice of toast and you will grow; two slices of apple and pear. What else do you like?”

These aren’t quite board books, but the covers are board and the heavy stock pages will stand up to multiple readings. The art is cartoony and fun, and it’s nice to see some diversity with Fifi, who is a child of color. Illustrations are pastel and calming, boldly outlined for definition, against pastel backgrounds. These are my first experience with the Billy-Bob books, but I do love Pauline Oud’s artwork and highly recommend her other series, Ian, Lily and Milo, and Piggy. Check out her website for more about the books, and see more books from Clavis’ Fall lineup right here. These are sweet little books about toddler daily routines that little ones will enjoy – and they invite you to cuddle up and read, which is my personal mission, so they’re a win for me.

Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Blog Tour: Race Car Dreams by Sharon Chriscoe!

Posted on September 7, 2016September 7, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

A race car finishes his race and gets ready for bed in this adorable rhyming bedtime story. Going through his nighttime rituals: he washes his rims, fills his tummy with oil, and heads to the library for a book to snuggle down with for the night. It’s a story that’s just perfect for bedtime, as my 4 year-old will gladly attest to; it’s entered our nightly reading routine, and the gentle rhyme and bright but subdued, kid-friendly art is a lovely transition from go-go-go running around all day to slowing down and getting ready for bed.

The endpapers bring us into and lead us out of the story with black and white checkered flag; in auto racing, it’s the checkered flag that waves when the winner has crossed the finish line; it’s a fun fact to add to a storytime and it adds both to the beginning and end settings for the story.

Cars fans, racing fans, boys and girls alike will enjoy this sweet bedtime story. I love that the race car snuggled down on its own with a good book, showing that while snuggle time with Mom or Dad is great, you can also be perfectly content to cuddle up with a night time read all on your own.

Is your little one a fan of “just one more book” at bedtime like mine is? Add Sherri Duskey Rinker’s Steam Train, Dream Train to the reading rotation for another rhyming dream story.

You can pick up a copy of Race Car Dreams for your little racer on September 13th. It’s available via Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or IndieBound. Support your local libraries and borrow it, too! Don’t forget to add it to your GoodReads!

Make sure to visit more stops on the RACE CAR DREAMS blog tour!

9/6 My Word Playground

9/7 MomReadIt

9/8 Unleashing Readers

9/9 Once Upon a Time…

9/10 Stacking Books

9/11 Geo Librarian

9/12 Flowering Minds

9/13 Unpacking the POWER of Picture Books

9/14 Little Crooked Cottage

9/14 MamaBelly

9/15 #kidlit Book of the Day

9/16 Just Kidding

Science Fiction, Teen, Uncategorized, Young Adult/New Adult

Caragh M. O’Brien’s The Vault of Dreamers is an unsettling YA thriller

Posted on August 26, 2014August 26, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Vault of Dreamers, by Caragh M. O’Brien, (Roaring Brook Press, Sept. 2014). $17.99, ISBN: 9781596439382

Recommended for ages 14+

In a not-too distant future, environmental upheaval and economic collapse have left many Americans in poverty. For creative teens who want a way out, the Forge School is the answer. A school for the most creative minds, and a reality show all at once, The Forge School/The Forge Show accepts students and keeps 50 out of 100 based on their “blip rate” – how many viewers watch their feed. After making it past the first cut, students’ popularity allows them banner ad income that they can receive, upon graduation, along with opportunities for success. Rosie Sinclair, aspiring filmmaker, is a student at the Forge School, and has discovered that the school has some big secrets. What is going on while the students sleep?

Vault of Dreamers is one of those books that takes a few chapters to build as O’Brien builds a solid story. We learn about Rosie’s background and the backgrounds of other students; we see family dynamics come into play, and we understand the motivation for many of these students to take part in a reality show that not only films you everywhere but the bathroom and shower, but a school that distributes sleeping pills to the student body on a nightly basis to assure that they will have a full 12 hours of sleep for maximum creativity. By the time the story kicks into high gear, we see what Rosie risks in order to learn Forge’s secrets: she’s putting her future and the future of her family on the line.

By the time we understand all of this, the story goes white-knuckle, non-stop. Is Rosie an unreliable narrator? Who can we trust? The reader is just as thrown off as Rosie is, and the need to know what was going on consumed me. The reality show setting will click with teens who have grown up with reality TV and popularity based on “likes” and approval ratings.

The ending nicely sets up a sequel, and even as a standalone work, offers a conclusion that will fuel some great discussions. You may howl in frustration, but you’ll be waiting for the next installment of this series.

The Vault of Dreamers will be published on September 16, but you can pre-order it from Amazon now.