Earth Day – Apr. 22, 2020
Sleep: How Nature Gets It’s Rest
Kate Prendergast, Author & Illustrator
Candlewick Press, Nonfiction, Sep. 10, 2019
Suitable for Ages: 5-8
Themes: Animals, Sleep, Habitats, Nature
Opening: Cats and dogs sleep curled up…when they aren’t playing.
Book Synopsis:
Giraffes sleep standing up. Sloths sleep upside down. Meerkats sleep in a heap.
From giraffes and sloths to horses and cows, every animal must find a way to get some rest. Discover the sleeping habits of animals around the world in this beautifully illustrated book that will spark wonder and fascination in the natural world for young readers.
Why I like this book:
Children will explore the sleep habits of their favorite animals in their natural habitats, making this a perfect bedtime picture book especially for Earth Day.
The narrative is simple and an easy book for young children who are learning to read books to themselves. This book is a concept book that introduces children to animals they may not be familiar with. It also has interesting and fun facts for children, like “Fish swim when they sleep and never shut their eyes.” Older children will enjoy the more detailed information about each species in the backmatter of the book: “Sloths snooze for about fifteen hours a day, high up in tropical treetops. They don’t move very much, but they do come down from their trees once a week to go to the bathroom!”
You only need to look at the gorgeous cover to see how beautiful and realistic Kate Prendergast’s animal portraits are. The warm and cozy watercolors are richly detailed. Readers will want to reach out and pet the tiger. Lovely presentation of text and artwork.
Resources: Visit a zoo, farm, or take a walk in the woods. Observe how the animals sleep and point out their behaviors, their differences and similarities. Take pictures or draw pictures of your favorite animals sleeping.
Kate Prendergast is the author-illustrator of Dog on a Digger. After working for years in the transportation industry and raising her children, she decided to get an MA in children’s book illustration at Cambridge School of Art. She lives in London.
*Review copy provided free by the publisher in exchange for a review.
A perfect book to share for Earth Day. This book also seems like the right reading choice at bedtime for little ones. The illustrations are fantastic!
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The illustrations really stand out in this story, with minimal text! It is a wonderful bedtime book!
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This is a lovely choice for Earth Day, and I can imagine the different animals’ sleep habits will be intriguing and surprising to many kids.
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Children will have fun learning how some animals stand, float, curl and heap on top of each other!
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What is it about a sleeping cat that immediately makes me want to take a nap? They must have tremendous powers of suggestion, LOL. This looks like a wonderful book about a popular parental topic, that may help those kiddos be a little more willing to nap. Plus, I’m sure they’ll find those “nap facts” fascinating before they head off to dreamland. Great pic!
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The text is minimal, making it a book that a child could read alone before a nap or bedtime. And learning about how different animals sleep is just plain fun!
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Patricia, this sounds like a great book. I missed it last year. Thanks for featuring it! It’s on my TBR pile when I can get it. I really love the cover.
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The cover is gorgeous and the illustrations make this book. The text is minimal, which helps kids learn to read.
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Great choice for Earth Day and for a Friday read after a long week!
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Yes, I’ve been holding this gem for Earth Day week. It is a perfect read for the little ones.
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I think this would be a winner with most kids.
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Yes, I think kids will adore this fun book about how animals sleep.
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I like the wide variety of animals and the range of ages this would appeal to. It’s not a part of animal life you see covered so this would be a welcome addition to any library.
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Yes, even I learned something new. It’s fun and young children will ask a lot of questions!
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A book about sleeping is just the thing these days. I like sleeping curled up against Mom. Even though she acts like I’m suffocating her or killing her, I’m sure she likes it just fine.
Love and licks,
Cupcake
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I’m sure you are the perfect partner, Cupcake. Although I’ve seen pictures of you sleeping on your back.
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