early reader - short and lively, would work as a read aloud (or at least, it would work as well as you can expect a seuss book to do, when you have a crowd of mixed ages 1-8 years)

not widely available for purchase, however, so I don't think we'll be able to use it for a giveaway book. ( )

Without the whimsical perfection of Dr. Seuss' artwork to pair with his amusing rhymes this book falls quite flat, even though the concept of a child who won't get up for anything could have gone far. Seuss introduces a myriad of motivations - from big brass bands to the police - but unlike the no limits approach to fantasy that is apparent in his other work he ground this story solidly in reality. Obviously this method will create a realistic connection with stubborn sleepy children, but it does not exactly inspire children's minds to run wild. The fact that the ending has the mother giving up (and giving the child's breakfast to the policeman) also doesn't really jive with me, since most of Seuss' stories have a more positive ending. If he had ended the story with a phrase like "it's Saturday/the weekend" I would have been more sympathetic, since the surprise would have explained the child's logic and provided a laugh for the parents. ( )

Not one of Seuss’s better books. Mainly because of the ending. It was abrupt. But I liked the story until then. ( )

This book is about a boy who plans to sleep the day away. Nothing will wake him up, because he simply doesn't want to wake up. His family, neighbors, and the rest of the town all try to wake him up, but he doesn't. Everything keeps escalating as people try to wake the boy up, with the police and marines being called in to wake up this sleeping boy. When nothing manages to wake him up, everyone realizes that he's being serious. The book concludes with the boy's mom telling a police officer, "I guess he really means it. So you can have the egg," and she gives the police officer the breakfast meant for her son. That, for some reason, sent me into a laughing fit that lasted for a solid minute. I would've rated this book 5 stars, if not for the stereotypes that are portrayed in it. While the boy lists off places where kids are waking up for school, he mentions Alaska and China. The illustrations show kids wearing fur coats exiting an igloo and children walking along the Great Wall of China on this page, and I felt that it was pretty stereotypical. Despite that, I do think it was a good book that was relatable (because who doesn't want to sleep all day?), and I think kids would enjoy it too. ( )

"You can tickle my feet.
You can shake my bed.
You can pour cold water on my head."

It gets more outlandish from there. In this amusing story a boy just simply does not want to get up. Who couldn't find something familiar in the the boy enjoying his soft pillow and remaining dedicated to staying in bed. It's an amusing story with enjoyable rhymes, not too many made-up words, and an array of familiar and unfamiliar names of cities and countries for early readers.

Unlike many of us, the little boy is able to stay contentedly in bed. The rhymes and repetition would be wonderful for audiences and the exaggerated means by which they try to wake him up would be entertaining. ( )