Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters

Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters. Jane Yolen. Illustrated by Kelly Murphy. 2011. Candlewick Press. 32 pages.

Monsters creep, monsters crawl,
Over the meadow and up the wall.
Monsters run, monsters stumble,
Monsters hip-hop, Monsters tumble,
Monsters slither, monsters wave,
All in a hurry to get to their cave...

It is time for these monsters to go to bed...but are they ready to go to bed without a fight?!

I like this one. It was fun. It is definitely not your cute-little-bunnies-getting-all-ready-for-bed bedtime story book. Which is a nice change! Is it my favorite bedtime book ever? Of course not. But I think it's a fun little book that you and your little ones might enjoy!

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

© 2011 Becky Laney of Young Readers

The Napping House

The Napping House. Audrey Wood. Illustrated by Don Wood. 1984/2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 32 pages.

There is a house,
a napping house,
where everyone is sleeping.
And in that house
there is a bed,
a cozy bed
in a napping house,
where everyone is sleeping.
And on that bed
there is a granny,
a snoring granny
on a cozy bed
in a napping house,
where everyone is sleeping.

Do you know about The Napping House? I didn't discover this gem of a book until I was an adult. But it sure is a fun title! I'm glad to see it being reprinted this year. It is available both as a picture book (with CD) and a padded board book.

If you're not familiar with this one, you should definitely seek it out. It stars a snoring granny, a dreaming child, a dozing dog, a snoozing cat, a slumbering mouse, and one more not-so-special 'special' guest that makes this one so much fun! I loved the predictability and repetition.

The Napping House is a great choice for reading aloud!

© Becky Laney of Young Readers