I Am Not Sleepy and I Will Not Go to Bed by Lauren Child

Child, Lauren. I Am Not Sleepy and I Will Not Go to Bed. Cambridge: Candlewick Press, 2001.

Lauren Child did an impressive job with I am Not Sleepy and I Will Not Go to Bed, with both the writing and the illustrations. Charlie, Lola’s older brother is trying to get her into bed, but her imagination is helping her stall for time. From a whale in the tub to the three tigers needing something to drink, Lola has an energetic mind that will have readers laughing. Child also does a fabulous job with the designs of the layout for each page. The words are printed in different patterns on each page that will intrigue all readers of all ages. The illustrations are bright and eye catching. Some of the pages offer few words, but the illustrations presented tell much more to the story. The one thing I liked about this book is Child discusses things Lola needs to do like brushing her teeth or take a bath, and she uses large illustrations of the items to enhance the words. Like the large bathtub with a whale in it or a large bottle of bubble bath with a sponge. This is great for students to match pictures and words. Also, this can be used as an educational book for any adult to read to their children that have this same conflict, and use this as a fun motivation to teach them the things to do before bed. This is an exceedingly fun read with a good flow to keep reader’s attention.