I'm not sleepy!

PreS-K-Children will enjoy this tale about an energetic little owl and his grandmother. Grandma keeps returning to Mo's treetop nest with a "Hop. Jump. Flutter.FLUMP!," an onomatopoetic refrain that is repeated frequently throughout the story. After too many pleas from the youngster for attention, such as a bedtime snack or another tuck in, Grandma gets the idea that Mo can put HER to bed and that he can just stay up. The role reversal and hard work involved in putting Grandma to bed finally wears out the little guy and he finally admits to being sleepy. Chapman's simple story is full of good humor. Illustrations are appealing and large enough for group sharing with an emphasis on cool greens and blues and a design that carries over into the endpapers. While bedtime books are often in abundance, this selection will get repeat readings.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A little owlet employs a big bag of tricks when Grandma tries to get him to settle down to sleep. Grandma carries little Mo to the top of the tree when it's bedtime. She smoothes some leaves into a soft nest and lays Mo carefully in the middle. "Play with me?" Mo giggles. "No, Sweetie, it's time for bed," Grandma responds. She reads in pleasant silence for a while, until Mo calls out that he hasn't had his bedtime snack. With effort, Grandma flies down to get it (a cookie, disappointingly, not a vole) and bring it back up to Mo, who again asks to play. Grandma's answer is the same. Not even leaves falling from the nest onto her head or Mo's loud declaration that "It's an emergency!" changes her mind. But she does come up with a plan. She will go to sleep, and Mo, after putting her to bed, can play to his heart's content. Mo is delighted, but he finds that the effort of arranging a nest for Grandma and flying down to get her bedtime snack has made him...sleepy. At last, he settles into his makeshift nest, and Grandma has a chance to read her book in peace. Chapman's story is simple and hardly original but pitch-perfect. Her owls look soft and friendly, and her backgrounds use an appropriately warm palette that frames them nicely. An ideal story for those who prefer softer edges to their bedtime shenanigans. (Picture book. 3-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.