Kate Feiffer is a writer, a filmmaker, and a mother. She is the author of the picture books President Pennybaker; But I Wanted a Baby Brother!; The Wild, Wild Inside; Which Puppy?; and My Mom Is Trying to Ruin my Life; and of the middle-grade novel The Problem with the Puddles. She lives with her family in New York and on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Visit her at KateFeiffer.com.
Jules Feiffer is one of the most influential editorial cartoonists of our time, as well as a playwright, novelist, screenwriter, and both the author and illustrator of children's books. His many awards and honors for his work include a Pulitzer Prize, an Academy Award, and an Obie Award. He illustrated The Phantom Tollbooth and the New York Times bestselling The Odious Ogre, both by Norton Juster, and both wrote and illustrated The Man in the Ceiling and Bark, George. He lives with is family in New York and Marthat's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
FEIFFER, Kate. No Go Sleep! illus. by Jules Feiffer. 32p. CIP. S &
S/Paula Wiseman Bks. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-1683-3. LC
2010033776.
PreS-K-In this charming picture book, a baby speaks only a few
words. But babies don't have to say much to have the world revolve
around them. The parents' gentle nudges toward bedtime fall flat,
so the sun steps in, saying, "I've gone for the day. When you wake
up, I'll be back to play." Baby, still wide-eyed and frenetic, then
hears from the moon, stars, a car, birds, frogs, bunnies, an owl, a
tree, sheep, and various creatures and things inside the house,
each closer and closer to the crib and its fretful occupant. Jules
Feiffer's wonderful, mildly zany informality warms every image, and
he super-soaks the pages in deliciously intense watercolors. Some
of the text is lilting, some quirky; unlike Goodnight Moon, for
instance, this isn't a lullaby in disguise. Will the book ease a
child to sleep? Maybe, maybe not. What it will do is distract and
entertain-and maybe even cheer up the weary adults who find
themselves in a similar situation.-Susan Weitz, formerly at
Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY
School Library Journal, May 2012 *STARRED
No Go Sleep!
Kate Feiffer, illus. by Jules Feiffer. S&S/Wiseman, $16.99
(32p) ISBN 978-1-4424-1683-3
"No go sleep!" insists a baby, and clearly his parents aren't
going to change his mind. But the rest of the world is more than
ready to call it a day, and celestial bodies, nearby animals, a car
driving down the street, and even the front door give it the old
college try. "When you wake up, I'll be back to play," promises the
sun. "Who? Yes me," pledges the owl. "I'll stay awake and watch
over you." "No!" says the stubborn baby, seemingly immune to this
cosmic persuasion, though his eyes say otherwise. Kate Feiffer, who
last collaborated with her father on My Side of the Car, has
written the perfect go-to book for the go-to-sleep impaired. With
its lulling tone and gentle, comic cajoling, it has nightly
must-read written all over it. Jules Feiffer's legendary ink lines
beautifully capture a nascent human in all his lumpy discontent.
Especially revelatory is how he conjures up the beauty of a starry,
marine-blue night and all the creatures and things that go into
making the world reassuringly benevolent. Ages 3-7. --Publishers
Weekly, January 2, 2012, *STARRED REVIEW
NO GO SLEEP!
Author: Feiffer, Kate
Illustrator: Feiffer, Jules
Father and daughter Feiffers deliver a bedtime book underscoring
the notion that sometimes only pure exhaustion will lull a baby to
sleep. When the blue pajama'ed baby announces "No go sleep," he
means it. Page after page of reassurances from parents, the setting
sun, the watchful moon, bunnies, owls and even a car driving by
saying "Beep, beep, sleep, sleep" are all for naught. The text's
lilting cadence coupled with the cool, nighttime palette might make
readers expect the baby to acquiesce, but he's not one to fall for
such standard bedtime-book ploys. When the mommy says, "Please go
to sleep," in a left-hand illustration depicting her leaning over
the crib of a calm but still wide-awake baby, the facing page shows
baby simply and firmly responding, "NO!" Funny in and of itself
after such a long build-up of gentle reassurances, the humor of
this blunt refusal is enhanced by Jules Feiffer's picture of the
baby, no longer calm and wide-eyed, but downright irascible and
rigid in his adamant, wakeful state. But a page turn brings us to
baby immediately closing his eyes anyway and falling fast asleep. A
clever, funny addition to the bedtime-book shelf. (Picture book
2-5)
Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2012
Father and daughter Jules and Kate Feiffer have joined forces
again, with this traditional-feeling bedtime
story. A restless baby proclaims, "No go sleep!" Mommy and Daddy
offer quiet words of encouragement
to no avail, and even the sun, the moon, the bunnies, the owls all
try to allay the baby's fears. Page after
page of friends, animate and inanimate, offer their own personal
promises of safety and security--the stars
say, "We'll twinkle and sprinkle sweet dreams down to you." The
baby, unconvinced, says, "NO!" but
soon closes his eyes and falls asleep. Kate Feiffer's deceptively
simple text, occupying a narrow band at
the bottom of each page, establishes a remarkable variety of
characters in a few spare, convincing words.
The homey quality of Jules Feiffer's almost mussy illustrations
reflects the baby's fidgety unease, while
careful use of color and light evoke the coming tranquility of
dusk. Peppered with bits of irreverent,
contemporary whims, the story's repetitive pattern will lull little
ones to sleep, night after night. --Booklist, February 15,
2012
--The Horn Book, March/April 2012
A determined toddler refuses to go to sleep, leading to a string of attempts to convince him: first from his mother ("It's time for you to close your eyes and think sweet thoughts"), then his dad ("Put your head down and fall fast asleep"), then the sun, the moon, the stars, a passing car, an assortment of local fauna, the front door of the house, the family dog, some toys, and, finally, the mommy once again ("Please go to sleep"). Despite the fact that they all stand by the assertion that it is time for the tot to rest, he still refuses . . . until, after one final "NO!" his eyes unwillingly close and he drifts off to sleep. There is a nice variety in reasoning presented by the various speakers, from the moon who ensures the baby that he'll "keep the night light" to the goldfish who promise not to swim away to the teddy bear who is ready for a snuggle, and the gentle storyline offers lots of bedtime appeal. Feiffer uses brush, ink, and watercolor markers to create loopy, swirly compositions that sing with his familiar springy informality but still effectively convey the changing poses of a baby moving from resistance to capitulation. While younger listeners will simply appreciate the gentle lilting of the text, older listeners may enjoy contemplating what other voices might join in on the litany of bedtime encouragement. --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, April 2012
--New York Times Book Review, May 13, 2012
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
