Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book

Children's book review by Steve Barancik

Ages 3-8

Time to go to bed!

Sometimes, the hardest thing to believe about Dr. Seuss is that he didn't have children of his own.

There's a very good reason the Sleep Book was one of the best-selling children's books of the 20th century.

It works!

Seuss somehow knew (or remembered!) that kids don't like to go to bed. They suffer with the knowledge that others are still awake. Well...

Seuss speaks to that in a big way. He spends 64 pages detailing the zillions of creatures in Seuss world who are sleeping happily at this very moment.

Everywhere
Creatures
Have shut off their voices.
They've all gone to bed
In the beds of their choices.

From Offts in the District of Dofft to Snorter McPhail (with his head in a pail), they're all sleeping and sleepwalking and snoring and sleeptalking. And you know what else? They're all smiling as they do so.

Of course, you don't just go to sleep; you have to get there.

The news
Just came in
From the County of Keck
That a very small bug
By the name of Van Vleck
Is yawning so wide
You can look down his neck.

Why is Seuss mentioning this? Well...

A yawn is quite catching, you see. Like a cough.
It just takes one yawn to start other yawns off.
NOW the news has come in that some friends of Van Vleck's
Are yawning so wide you can look down THEIR necks.

Seuss depicts a symphony of spreading sleepiness advancing across the planet, and it's not about to skip over your child's room. As one creature after another nods off, it's a fair bet that your child won't be the last to succumb.

Ninety-nine zillion,
Nine trillion and two
Creatures are sleeping!
So...How about you?

When you put out YOUR light,
The the number will be
Ninety-nize zillion
Nine trillion and three.

Chances are your child will be asleep before you even get to those words. As Seuss states on the inside back cover:

"This Book is to be Read in Bed."

Dr Seuss's Sleep Book: Say, "Goodnight!"

Complete Dr. Seuss book list. (By the way, the Sleep Book is included in at least one Dr. Seuss book collection. Let us show you!)

Read more of Steve's children's book reviews.

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