The Children’s Book Review | November 26, 2017
Hoot & Honk Just Can’t Sleep
Written and Illustrated by Leslie Helakoski
Age Range: 3 and up
Hardback: 40 pages
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
ISBN: 978-1454921257
What to expect: Daytime/Nighttime, Sleeping, Friendly Birds
It was a dark and stormy night, and two little eggs rolled out of their nests. One bounced down from an owl’s nest, the other rolled away from a cozy goose nest. The mother birds find the eggs, and they accidentally get them switched! When they hatch, disaster ensues. Little owl wakes to an icky breakfast of bugs and worms, then finds that he’s still the only one awake at nighttime. He toddles off to find other baby owls awake, enjoying the night. Then up flies mommy owl, ready to take him home to a cozy nest and a day filled with peaceful rest. Next up is baby gosling, who hatches in the owl nest by mistake. Animal bones for breakfast? Ick! She toddles off in search of other daytime dwellers and finds her gosling brother and sisters. Finally she is reunited with mother goose and spends a happy evening sleeping in the dark night.
What a cute book about finding the perfect sleeping arrangements! Every parent can empathize with getting your little ones to sleep, and this charming book helps broach the subject in a gentle way. The illustrations are colorful and warm, while the prose is sparse and light-hearted, making this a perfect bedtime read. Children will love pointing out how each bird is in the wrong nest, and how they should fix the situation! The peaceful ending of each baby bird finding its mother makes for a heart-warming ending that will leave little ones feeling sleepy and at peace.
Highly recommended.
Available Here:
About the Author-Illustrator
Leslie Helakoski grew up in south Louisiana. She is the author of Big Chickens (Puffin Books; the Michigan Reads picture book for 2007, Great Lakes Great Books Award and a GLBA finalist) and Woolbur (HarperCollins; a Book Sense pick for 2008, Florida Reading Association Honor Book and nominee for state book awards in nine states). Her other books include Big Chickens Fly the Coop (Puffin Books), The Smushy Bus (Millbrook Press), and Fair Cow (Two Lions). She lives in southern MI.
Hoot & Honk Just Can’t Sleep, by Leslie Helakoski, was reviewed by Denise Mealy. Discover more books like Hoot & Honk Just Can’t Sleep by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with Bedtime Stories, Birds, Geese, Leslie Helakoski, Owls, and Picture Books.
