Boris and the worrisome wakies

Everyone join the chorus! Here comes snoring Boris. What does he do? Bore us! Badger cubs in Boris' class chant this singsongy rhyme as the sleepy badger shuffles into the classroom and nods off during school activities. The source of Boris' snoozy attitude is a case of the worrisome wakies, the bevy of excuses Boris has for staying awake at bedtime, which, naturally for nocturnal badgers, occurs at daybreak. I'm hunnnnngry! I can't find my ice skates! I think my PJs are on backwards! Boris is exhausted when it is time to get up for school, and any attempts to rouse the badger cub are futile, until he realizes he's missing out on fun activities. Lester's lively, chucklesome story includes exaggerated statements, onomatopoeia, rhyming chants, and shifting text sizes, which all add to the fun atmosphere. Munsinger brings Lester's story to life with detailed watercolor scenes filled with warm, fuzzy badgers and an array of hilarious facial expressions. Kiddos with bedtime battles might find some solidarity with Boris.--Lock, Anita Copyright 2017 Booklist

Trouble sleeping keeps little Boris from thriving at school.Boris, a nocturnal, anthropomorphic badger child, can't sleep during the day due to the titular "worrisome wakies" that make him toss and turn until sundown. When he goes to school in the evening, he falls asleep and misses out on everything. Munsinger's illustrations depict the fun that his classmates describe to him when he finally begins to worry about what he's been missing, including "The school play. You were a rock." Throughout the book, cartoon-style watercolor-and-ink illustrations build on the text's playful humor, but on this spread, the illustration of the school play depicts a sleeping Boris as Plymouth Rock lying before smiling badger children who are costumed like Pilgrims and carry a roasted turkey and a pumpkin, while another is clad as a stereotypical Indian in a feather headdress and holding corn. While humor may have been the intent, many will find the result anything but funny when they consider the picture's outdated whitewashing of colonialist history. Moving on, Boris resolves to get a good day's sleep so that he can participate fully at school, and he ends up being the "liveliest cub" there. This book needs to reject stereotypes in order to get woke. (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.