Sleepy Sheepy and the sheepover by Lucy Ruth Cummins. Illus. by Pete Oswald
The big day for Sleepy Sheep’s first sleepover comes around. Sleepy is very excited and packs a little more than he needs. His backpack is stuffed full, his overnight case bulges, but off he goes off to his grandparents’ place, and his two favourite people. After his parents leave he feels a little sad, but cannot say why. Things feel very different and when he goes to bed, he finds his pjs do not match and the blankets are scratchy, and he cannot fall asleep. His grandparents sit with him watching TV and they fall asleep.
They bring out an old book that his father loved as a child, and they read it to Sleepy, munching on his favourite biscuits and dancing to the beat of the music. After all that exercise and stories and food, Sleepy is tucked into his bed with all the toys he brought with him for company. The blankets were still a little scratchy but being tucked in tightly makes him feel right at home.
In rhyming lines, the story will gather readers as they see what happens on an overnight stay. Many children will have been on a sleepover and be able to share their experiences, and for the ones who have not yet slept somewhere else, the story will ease any concerns they may have. Bouncy and full of wit and charm, the story outlines Sleepy’s initial concerns which result in him taking a few too many things with him for his sleepover. The pjs not matching does little to calm his unease.
All the things he is concerned about are very minor, but in some children’s eyes could be immense, and feed their feeling of unease at being away from home.
Readers will enjoy seeing Sleepy pack his overnight bag, wondering what they would take along to a sleepover, at the same time as laughing at what Sleepy packs. Children will enjoy predicting the rhyming words as they read along with an adult reader. They will also offer suggestions as to what Sleepy can do to allay his concerns, and what the grandparents could do to help him feel at ease.
Charming illustrations by California based illustrator, Oswald, will catch children’s imaginations seeing the image of the sheep at centre stage. Details on each page ground Sleepy and readers will love looking at the detail of city life.
New York based Cummins has written an assortment of books, The hungry lion appearing in 2016.
This is a terrific read aloud for bedtime, or any time.
Themes: Verse, Read aloud, Sheep, Sleeping, Bedtime, Humour.
Fran Knight