De verdad que no podía/ Marc just couldn't sleep

by Gabriela Keselman

Marc quería dormir. De verdad que quería. Pero tenía muchos miedos y de verdad que no podía. Su mamá probó esto y lo otro y aquello también. Hasta que al fin...

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction

36 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marc is a young boy who wants to sleep but cannot due to his fears. His mother finds ingenious solutions to address the multitude of reasons he is afraid, but ultimately it is her bedside presence that calms him into dreamland. This story addresses a problem common among children and may be useful in bibliotherapy for children with sleep issues. Endearing illustrations and amusing happenings make this creative story a fun read.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found on OpenLibrary:

https://archive.org/details/marcjustc...

[Nicoleta]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCSVm...

[Sondra Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still have my note to the mean wind. That's right. Dominic insisted that I write a note to the mean wind and to the moon and watched over my shoulder after I slowly copied the notes from the book.

He still insists that we go for a walk each night, just to make sure the moon isn't "doing anything silly, like melting or something."

Just like Marc's mom, I would do anything to help my son get to sleep at night.

[Janelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd be a little leary of using this as a bedtime story, afraid that it would give the children ideas of what to ask for. But in the end the book seems to show that they will tire of the requests, and perhaps all they're really looking for is more time with mom or dad. I appreciate Marc's imagination and that his mother's love shines through.

[Ellee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book - especially if you have a child who's having trouble sleeping. It's quick enough, that it's worth it for grown-ups too (the illustrations of the mother's facial expressions are great!).

[Guilherme Semionato · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extra star upon rereading it. What a beautiful book.

[Leticia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about a little boy's bedtime fears and his mom trying to fix it. It's a fun book that my 5 year old twins both enjoy.

[Ayegdv23 aye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marc tiene miedo a todo pero su mamá trata de ahuyentar todo para que él pueda dormir.
Abarca el miedo , ese periodo en el que los niños tiene que ir a acostarse solos a la cama.
El final es muy lindo.
Desde el lado de la madre , como ayuda a el niño para que pueda por fin conciliar el sueño 💤 y como a veces es tan sencillo quedarnos un rato con ellos para que se calmen y pueden irse a dormir 😴

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marc was too restless and too scared to sleep. His mother did all she could do to comfort him, and help him sleep, but nothing seemed to work. Finally a solution to Marc's problem was discovered, and finally sleep came.

[Kristal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story about a little boy that cannot sleep due to a variety of fears (maybe real, maybe imagined?) and a mom who tries crazy solutions- but the real thing Marc needs to calm him is just his moms presence. Love the illustrations too.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my. I would really love to share this with someone. What a wonderfully patient mother! She knows that sometimes kids have nights like this, and it's best to show them lots of love and wait it out.

[Yoss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se me hace un libro muy bonito

[Robin West · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book. Read it and you will see why I love Marc and his mom.

[Camy Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awww quiero una mamá como Marc.

Muy divertido y lleno de ternura ♡.

[Cheryl Rainfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marc can’t sleep. He’s scared, and he worries about big things and small things. Each time he tells his mother a worry, she comes up with imaginative, playful ways to try to soothe him and get him to sleep. But even after she’s found a solution for each of his worries, he’s still scared. Exasperated, his mother comes in, takes away all the things she gave him as solutions, and sits with him, touching his hair, and encourages him to tell her all his fears–but by then, Marc is tired enough that he falls asleep. Imagination can help–but sometimes we just need physical comfort and having someone sit with us and listen, to go to sleep. This is a sweet, imaginative bedtime story.

Keselman makes it easy to identify with Marc–we hear immediately that he’s scared. Anyone who worries a lot, or who has a strong imagination, will understand Marc’s worrying and fear all the more. Some of Marc’s worries are universal–afraid of falling out of bed–and some are much more specific and imaginative–such as being afraid a giant mosquito will fly in and bite him. This movement between common fears and outrageous, imaginative ones helps bring variation, makes the fears entertaining, and may help some readers know that they are not alone in their worries and fears.



You can read my entire review
here.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this one. I like the illustrations and the creativity. I didn't like that the mom had no consistent routine and succumbed to his every fear in such a varied way, and basically validates that the fears, no matter how unlikely the occurrence might warrant extra special, even strange precautions. Great resolution though.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a rule I avoid introducing books that have lists of excuses for sleeping.

[Tammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another can't get to sleep story where the Mother does a lot of dumb things. Mother's really aren't that dumb, are they? She scared me!