Mama, I Can't Sleep

by Brigitte Raab, Manuela Olten (Illustrator)

Sometimes it feels almost impossible to fall asleep. So, when a little girl insists that she simply cannot sleep, her mother tells her how all of the animals in the world go to sleep. But each animal sleeps differently, as the little girl finds out: leopards sleep in trees; storks sleep standing on only one leg; fish sleep with their eyes open; bats hang upside down while they sleep; ducks sleep in large groups; and so forth. But what is the best way for children to sleep? Perhaps if the little girl tries out all the ways animals sleep, she ll find the perfect way for her which may just be her own bed, after all Mama, I Can t Sleep is a delightful goodnight book from the picture-book dream team of Brigitte Raab and Manuela Olten. Original, amusing, and brimming with fun animal knowledge, this is sure to help any reluctant child who would much rather sleep with Mom and Dad to discover that, just like the animals, children have their own special way of falling fast asleep. This book is the perfect gift for new parents or anyone living with young children.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Dream.M]

+مامان! من نمیتونم بخوابم ...
_چشماتو ببند خوابت میبره...
تیپیکال مادر ایرانی ؛)

[Yasmeen .]

Useful for kids and adults too 😁
A Simple and abbreviated book about different ways of animals sleeping.

[Maria]

Very enjoyable Illustrations.

[Robin]

Another take on what to do if you can't sleep. But hanging like a bat doesn't work for people! (or does it?)

[Jamie Bee]

Different Ways Animals Sleep

Getting a young child to sleep is a universal issue. Some fight it harder than others, that’s for sure. In this story, a young girl cannot fall asleep. Her mother tells her the ways different animals sleep, and the young girl wants to try out every single one of them to see if they will help her sleep. The mother states again and again that the little girl is not one of these animals; she is a child. Unfortunately, I don't think the child ever fell asleep in this book, although the mother did. I'm not sure what sort of a message this book sends. Despite its subject matter, it may not be the best book to read before bedtime as it might inspire the child to want to try all the different animal ways of sleeping that are depicted in the book. These are certainly not conducive for a human child to fall asleep! It could just be read for some silly fun or perhaps to burn off some energy before trying to settle down for a rest. Of course, it also teaches how different animals sleep, which could interest certain children. All in all, I found it to be a fun book. I didn't particularly like the illustrations of the humans, but I liked the ones of the animals.

My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com

[Reygan Seale]

This is a fantastic book to read before bed time. I have a 5 year old and a 3 month old. They both enjoy being read too and when I first read this book, it was with my 5 year old who co slept with his dad (my husband) before we met. So when it was time to move him to his own room, in his big boy bed, we read him this book together every night until he no longer wanted us to anymore. It is a really good way to encourage kids to learn about different ways that animals sleep and it puts in their minds that there is also different ways that people sleep. It was not easy on him, or us, to get him in his room but reading this book and always reminding him that it is natural and to remember all of the different ways that the animals in this book sleep, like how storks sleep standing on one foot (he loved this) and how fish sleep with their eyes open! I would recommend this book to any parent or child that has an interest in animals, likes to see visuals of the animals, and children that have trouble adjusting to different situations.

[Alice]

I would put this as a non-fiction narrative type book. It talks about how animals sleep without the boring facts and figures. It has humor and fun and makes a good bed time story! I want to be a giraffe...they only need 4 hours of sleep!!

[Libby]

Cute story (and in translation from German, which I thought was neat) about a little girl who can't go to sleep and her mama, who tells her about all the many ways different animals sleep. Fun bedtime read aloud.

[Jo Oehrlein]

Shows the different ways that various animals sleep, while dealing with a little human who can't sleep.

[Danielle Mootz]

This is a cute book with sweet interplay between mother and daughter.

[Robin Raines-Bond]

Cute non-fiction discussion between a little girl and her Momma about how animals sleep.

[Reyna]

We laughed because my 9yo doesn't like to sleep

We laughed because my 9yo doesn't like to sleep. It is a short and funny reading special for bed time

[Liz Lowe]

Picture book about how different animals fall asleep.

[Kaleem]

Informative

Kids get to learn how different creatures sleep. My daughter enjoyed listening while she learned about other animals sleeping habits.

[heidi]

Jeder schläft anders.

A lovely bedtime book that is also a lesson in zoology and biodiversity.

[Ghazaleh Neshat.O]

خیلی قصه بامزه ای، به خصوص برای بچه ها که دوست ندارند بخوابن!

[Mobina]

موسیقی اول و آخر کتاب خیلی طولانی بود. گویندگی ها خوب و مناسب کتاب کودکان بود. داستان یکم تکراری شد ولی بامزس.

[Erin Reilly-Sanders]

This has a great cover and adorable endpapers. I rather like the illustrations a lot- the color palette of dusky browns, pale greenish blues, black, and salmon/peach is really interesting. I did find the changing text color a bit confusing, especially since it doesn’t change based upon the speaker and the child and mother alternate dialog without dialog marks. The premise is really silly and cute and there are interesting facts woven in too. The design could have been improved by insetting the pictures of the animals going to sleep to separate it more from the people-oriented story. The text itself is a bit choppy but that seems to work for it. It has a nice sense of repletion and a good amount of words on the page to be able to hold a young child’s attention.

[Marjorie]

There isn't a mother anywhere who hasn't had to deal with a child who just cannot go to sleep. This book depicts a mother as she gently guides her sleepless little one through the bedtime rituals of many animals. The little girl, in attempt to go to sleep, gives each ritual a try, with no success. The mother presents plenty of options which lead to some comical actions on the part of her child. I think I could relate to the last page the most, but I won't tell you what happens, so you can enjoy the "happy" ending for yourself. The illustrations would be entertaining for a young child, both bright and bold.

[Nancy]

When a little girl has trouble sleeping, her mother tells her about the animals in the world and how they sleep. The leopards in the wild sleep in trees. When the little girl tries to sleep like that, she falls down. Dogs turn in circles to make their beds more comfortable. The little girl gets all worked up trampling around her bed. No matter what she does, she still can't sleep. Will her mother ever find a way to help her find asleep?

[Cara Byrne]

Originally published in German, this book is a treat for English- language readers. Filled with facts about how animals sleep and a very creative, restless little one, this is a good before bed read.