I Don't Wanna Hibernate!

November 15, 2024
Ouchchy takes a common parental issue--children who don't want to go to sleep--and situates it in a groundhog burrow on the eve of winter. Little Tess may not want to hibernate, but her yawning parents surely do. Before they can rest, though, they need to get Tess to bed. The usual get-kids-to-sleep methods are prominently featured--tucking the little one in, reading stories, offering warm beverages, singing lullabies. Tess uses familiar excuses--she's not tired, her toys need her, there's too much to do to sleep. In the end, her parents' reverse psychology seems to do the trick: You stay up, Tess. We're going to bed. Tess thoughtfully tucks Mommy and Daddy in before the inevitable yawns and heavy eyelids make an appearance, and she finally succumbs. But will Tess' hibernation procrastination mean she'll miss Groundhog Day? Parents and children alike will find their book counterparts thoroughly relatable. Cleverly, the rhyming verses can serve to either excite or soothe little listeners, depending on how they're read aloud (and how much oomph adults put into the sound effects). Kaduji's groundhogs are wonderfully expressive, with the O of a mouth, characters' downturned eyebrows, and (premature) parental high-fives speaking volumes. The relative lack of background details keeps the focus on the family. A good choice for reluctant sleepers and their tired parents--though if it backfires, don't blame the creators.(Picture book. 4-7)

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January 1, 2025
Preschool-Kindergarten Mommy and Daddy Groundhog make several attempts to get young Tess to settle down for a few months of hibernation. The pup isn't sleepy when it's time for the long winter snooze, but her parents are wearing down rapidly as the frustrating evening progresses. The wall calendar shows it is October 29, and snow is falling, but Tess is still full of energy and, like all youngsters, wants to stay up longer. When her favorite books, lullabies, and a warm mug of cocoa don't do the trick, her tuckered-out parents give up and go to bed. Tess busies herself with toys inside and building a snowman outside--until the inevitable happens and she loses her battle with sleep. Softly colored illustrations show a cozy burrow with beds, lamps, stuffed animals, and a blue-and-white checkered comforter covering Tess' bed. Onomatopoeia in a bold print is interspersed throughout the rhyming text, showing Tess' energy and determination to not succumb to hibernation. An entertaining tale for fall and winter bedtimes.

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