Raise your hand if you are tired from lack of sleep thanks to the clocks springing forward. . .
Imagine me sitting here waving my hands wildly! Although extra hours of sunlight are a wonderful thing, they wreck havoc on the sleep cycles of the kids in the house, which transfers over to the adults. Their bodies still think it is earlier, the sun is out, and they do not want to settle to get ready for bed. The timing on a rerelease of a book written and illustrated by Marianne Richmond could not have been more perfect.
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky; ISBN: 978-1-4022-6878-6; Picture Book; $16.99 March 2012
As the mother of an eight and almost five year old, I have heard a lot of excuses from my boys on why they are not tired and/or do not want to go to bed. I have to admit that NHL and JSL have very active imaginations, but nothing quite like Ralphie.
Ralphie is a six year old little boy who is the star character of I’m Not Tired Yet!
He and his mother allow us to watch as they participate in their sweet bedtime routine. As we see from the start, Ralphie is not interested in going to bed. Although his mother is aware of his strategy to prolong his wake time, she engages in an adorable play with words with her young son. Together, they imagine multiple animal visits while allowing for time to kiss, hug, poke, and play before finally settling down for the night.
One example of Ralphie’s favorite animal is the polar bear. When he says that he can’t sleep because of a mosquito buzzing in his ear, she quickly suggests polar bear cuddle time. Sure enough the beautiful illustrations from Richmond allow us to see the sweet embrace of mother and son as polar bears. 
Of course, children will see the repetitive nature of Ralphie’s mother saying good night to him and something cropping up soon after. Then, as his mother is about to leave, something seems to come to Ralphie’s little mind that requires his mother to stay a little longer.
When I read this book with JSL (4), he curled up next to me to listen to the story. He loved that Ralphie was young, but not too little. What I really liked was how JSL immediately wanted to try the fun items that Ralphie and his mother were doing in the book. We were apes, we did fish kisses, and other adorable items that did not get my little guy too amped up before his bedtime.
I believe this may have been the first time we have read one of Marianne Richmond’s books, but will not be the last. JSL has already asked to check into some of her other titles to read together. Ending the day with some laughs was a definite plus for us.
What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.
Disclosure: I received this book complimentary of Sourcebooks in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. An Amazon Affiliate link is included in this post for the book mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy the book through that link.
