Sleepy, the Goodnight Buddy by Drew Daywalt - ADVISABLE

Sleepy, the Goodnight Buddy by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Scott Campbell. PICTURE BOOK. Disney Hyperion, 2018. $17. 9781484789698

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

In an effort to get young Roderick to fall asleep on his own, his parents buy him a goodnight buddy - a stuffed animal that looks a little like a bear and a little like a moose. This stuffed animal has a hard time falling asleep himself and wears Roderick out with his requests and questions.

I have seen this same story line in other bedtime stories and it is always enjoyable, but this one wasn’t especially funny or charming. I did like the nighttime color palette and the stuffed animal was quirky in a charming way. This storyline works so well over and over again because kids, like all of us, like to see themselves and their needs from a different perspective.     

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher