No More Naps!

by Chris Grabenstein (Author)

No More Naps!
Reading Level: K − 1st Grade

The #1 New York Times bestselling powerhouse author of the Mr. Lemoncello books brings his wit and humor to a pint-sized audience in this picture book debut that turns the universal dilemma of getting kids to sleep on its head.

It's time for a nap but, just like stubborn toddlers everywhere, Annalise Devin McFleece won't have anything to do with bedtime. Dad tries to encourage sleepiness by pushing her around the park in her stroller. Along the way, they pass a man sitting on a bench, dog walkers walking dogs, a boy on a skateboard, kids playing ball, a girl practicing her juggling, and others. Each of them thinks that taking a nap is a great idea and if Annalise Devin McFleece doesn't want hers, they'll happy take it. And one by one, everyone falls asleep...except Annalise Devin McFleece. But when she's finally ready for her nap, all the naps are taken! Is there anyone who has an extra nap to spare?

With every turn of the page, the busy city scene becomes more and more quiet...except for Annalise Devin McFleece.

Will she ever take a nap?

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Publishers Weekly

A nap is a terrible thing to waste. So when a very stubborn pigtailed girl named Annalise Devin McFleece refuses to take one ("NOOOOOO!"), even after her desperate father has taken her on a hopefully soporific stroller ride in the warm sun, a gentleman on a park bench offers, "If she won't take a nap, may I have it please?" Soon, "every single creature in the whole park had decided to take a nap"--even the lamppost pigeons are snoring. But with no one for her to "fuss, fume, scream, or shriek at," Annalise's lids grow heavy until she realizes that there are no naps left for her. Maybe a friendly cat has a nap to spare? It may take a few beats for Grabenstein's (Shine!) idiomatic twist to sink in, but once it does, the idea that naps are opportunities to be eagerly seized is an amusing reframing. Espinosa (Islandborn), whose cheery, gently ironic drawing style may remind readers of Crockett Johnson's, draws outdoor nappers of every stripe--from a bucket drummer snoozing on top of his instruments to a hairstylist and client enjoying 40 winks in the middle of a blow dry. Ages 3-7. (Feb.)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1—Most toddlers desperately need a nap but will do anything in their power to avoid one, and Annalise Devin McFleece is no exception. Her parents try to get her to take a nap, but Annalise fusses, fumes, and screams so loud that the entire neighborhood knows that she was NOT napping. Her desperate father decides to take her on a walk through the neighborhood in her stroller. He begs her to nap as he pushes her through the hustle and bustle of the neighborhood, but stubborn Annalise continually says no and keeps her eyes wide open. They run into a man lying on a bench, who asks if he can have Annalise's nap if she doesn't want to take it. Soon, everyone in the neighborhood realizes just how sleepy they feel and everyone begins to fall asleep; the dog walker, the baker, the construction workers, the police officers, even Annalise's father. Everyone is asleep except for Annalise, which, in true toddler fashion, makes her so angry because everyone has something that she doesn't. Annalise exclaims, "I want to take a nap" and finally, she does. Very detailed illustrations paint the picture of an entire community dozing, including a hairstylist asleep while his blow-dryer is on and a waiter fast asleep while still holding a hot bowl of soup. VERDICT Recommended for picture book collections and families with young children who will relate to the very real struggle for naps.—Kristen Todd-Wurm, Middle Country Public Library, NY

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Preschoolers will find the defiant protagonist's protests a little bit thrilling and 100% funny.... Screamingly fun." —Kirkus Reviews

"The idea that naps are opportunities to be eagerly seized is an amusing reframing." —Publishers Weekly

"Known for the Mr. Lemoncello series, Grabenstein offers a mildly amusing tale of a strong-willed child who changes her mind, and Espinosa contributes a series of lively illustrations featuring expressively drawn characters." — Booklist

Chris Grabenstein
CHRIS GRABENSTEIN is the bestselling author of the Mr. Lemoncello's Library, Smartest Kid in the Universe, and Dog Squad series, and many other books, as well as the coauthor of numerous page-turners with James Patterson and of Shine!, cowritten with Chris's wife, J.J. Grabenstein. Chris lives in New York City.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781524771287
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication date
February 20, 2020
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV010000 - Juvenile Fiction | Bedtime & Dreams
Library of Congress categories
-

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