Chengdu Could Not Would Not Fall Asleep

Chengdu

by Barney Saltzberg

"Rhythmic and repetitive, this bedtime story for preschoolers who absolutely do not want to go to bed should bring heavy eyelids before the final page is turned." - Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor

High in his tree a young panda named Chengdu lies awake, even though everyone around him is quietly sleeping. He tosses and he turns. He scrunches and he squirms, until he finally finds the perfect spot.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Storytime, Childrens, Fiction, Humor, Juvenile

48 pages, Hardcover

First published April 8, 2014

About the author

Barney Saltzberg is the author and illustrator of close to 50 books for children, including Beautiful Oops!, Arlo Needs Glasses, Good Egg, Cornelius P. Mud , Crazy Hair Day and the bestselling Touch and Feel Kisses series with over 800,000 copies in print. He has two new releases, Tea With Grandpa and Chengdu Could Not Would Not Fall Asleep coming this spring.
Additionally, he’s recorded four CDs of music for children. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two dogs.

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute story. I like the fold outs, but, do publishers just not care how much wear and tear these fold out books are going to get. This is going to get destroyed SO QUICKLY. I wish all fold out books used thicker, more tear resistant paper.

[Jocelin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story reminded me a lot of my husband. He has trouble sleeping, even when he is exhausted. I was able to sympathizes with the main character. I thought the illustrations were artistically rendered, I loved the chalkboard look. Great to read to the little ones at bedtime.

[Samuel Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The list of entertaining things about toddlers does not include any of the following; throwing food against your recently painted walls, nappy deposits, or deciding to stay up way past their bedtime. There are few things more unsettling to a parent than a toddler used to their routine suddenly deciding to stay up way past their bedtime; they scream, they procrastinate, they blub and then finally collapse (and that is just Mum and Dad). The reason that so many children’s books are about settling down and going to bed is to avoid the staying up eventuality, so will a book about an insomniac panda work?

Chengdu wants to sleep. He has tried shifting position, hanging from a branch, resting on his head, but none of these tactics seem to work, he just cannot nod off. That is until he decides to climb to the very top of the tree where he finds the most soft and yielding cushion to lie on, but will the cushion be happy to be used thus?

‘‘Chengdu Could Not, Would Not, Fall Asleep’’ by Barney Saltzberg is a book for toddlers that has a got a lot to recommend about it. Just as a little board book it is wonderful. Too many of these types of books are a little dull as the author decides not to bother having a story, Saltzberg has managed to cram 32 pages into his book and although the story is simple, it is great fun. He also has fun with the format as some of the pages are not the same. To represent Chengdu’s ascension up the tree, Saltzberg has cut the pages so that they get smaller and smaller. This is a simple little trick, but does make the book stand out.

The illustrations also work well. Chengdu is a cute character and has wonderfully sad eyes as he tries to get to sleep. Some of the antics he gets up to are daft and add to the entertainment. There is also a great ending to the book that is a nice surprise and genuinely funny. It will be appreciated by any adult that has been awoken by a child just because they can’t sleep.

The books only downside is the subject matter. Toddlers can be impressionable and there is a reason you read books about sleeping and not staying awake. As anyone with a toddler prone to refusing to sleep, reading a book that reinforces this behaviour is not ideal. For those parents with children that sleep at a drop of a hat, this book works brilliantly, for those with kids like mine, perhaps leave it until they are a little older and can see the book is meant to be funny and not a life lesson. Original review on thebookbag.co.uk

[Sara Grochowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Try as he might, Chengdu the panda could not, would not fall asleep. He tosses and turns, stretches and scrunches, but it's no use. He's eyes stay wide and sleep will not come. Finally, Chengdu climbs up and up to find the perfect spot... atop he brother Yuan. Now, everyone is sleeping... except Yuan.

The expressive illustrations of Chengdu and his brother Yuan, coupled with interactive fold-out pages, make this book a winner!

[Jeremy West · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pandas, guys. I shouldn't have to say more, but I will. Chengdu has a very hard time falling asleep. He lies awake at night high up in his tree watching everyone else around him sleep. But he can't. He wanders and climbs until he finds the perfect spot. With wonderful art, this book is perfect for panda lovers or pretty much everyone. Pandas, guys.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhhh, a panda after my own heart.

Chengdu is a baby panda who cannot fall asleep. Without access to books or Netflix, his reasons are unclear. But, without access to herbal tea or 80s sitcoms, his struggle to fall asleep is very, very real.

Buy this title from Powell's Books.

[Demi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The paging is inventive, the illustrations are adorable, and the ending made me laugh out loud.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plenty of fold out pages for your child to interact with the story. Chengdu is a panda who is having trouble finding sleep and who can't identify with that? Sweetly told with great pictures.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh ... this might even be a five star. Just for being about a chubby little panda with insomnia. #beenthere #wellexceptforthepandapart

[Michal Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful story for going to bed, good for toddlers and preschoolers!

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Panda! Panda with insomnia and siblings!

Library copy

[Ellie Curtsinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chengdu Could Not, Would Not Fall Asleep was chosen as an honor book for the Charlotte Zolotow Award in 2015. The illustrations rendered in pencil and watercolors, though some elements were done digitally. The book features a wrap-around cover of Chengdu wide-eyed in the forest. The book also has really nice end papers; they’re black with green bamboo stalks and tiny stars, which matches the cover and the rest of the book. Most of the illustrations are double page spreads with a black background. The only other colors used are white and green, which gives the book a nice simplicity. Chengdu usually appears on one side of the gutter, while the other side is completely made up of bamboo. The book features simple text does not interfere with the illustrations. One of my favorite elements are the double page spreads that are close-ups of Chengdu’s face: a white background with only the black kidney-bean shapes that surround his eyes. The book also features fold out flaps that show Chengdu tossing and turning within the scene. I’m sure this book is really popular with younger children, especially the flaps.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a story tries purposely to be repetitive and monotonous, will you like it?

Illustrations were gorgeous. Plus, clever foldover pages -- from different angles -- were included.

Clever, yes.

Sleep inducing, for some young readers? Possibly.

Not my sense of humor, though, that's for sure. For most of my life, though not currently, I have suffered from insomnia. Like any problem, if you've seriously suffered from it, an author's jokiness about this will not win any points for the author.

RATING THIS BOOK

Unless I absolutely love or loathe a book, my policy is to rate it in terms of my imagined response of the intended readers. Here I'll assume the intended readers don't have a serious problem with falling asleep, so this topic becomes a fine topic for cuteness. FIVE STARS, then.

[Kiyoko]

I had high hopes for Chengdu Could Not, Would Not Fall Asleep, but it fell flat for us. As a children’s book, it lacks the engaging story I look for to captivate my older toddler audience. The narrative felt thin and ended abruptly without a satisfying resolution.

The book’s interactive folding pages seemed like they could be fun, but they’re not toddler-friendly. Our library copy was heavily mended, especially one awkwardly designed fold-out page that clearly couldn’t withstand enthusiastic little hands.

If the goal is to bore a toddler to sleep, this book might just do the trick. Usually, Alice loves re-reading books with interactive elements, but this one didn’t hold her interest. She hopped off my lap, ready to move on from our story time, and honestly, I couldn’t blame her.

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

You hear about "making puppy eyes" all the time. And, it's true it's hard to say no to such cuteness. In Chengdu Could Not, Would Not Fall Asleep, it's hard to resist all the panda cuteness of Chengdu trying to fall asleep, especially when he looks out at you with his eyes quizzically wondering "What do I have to do to get some sleep?" Saltzberg's illustrations and story go together so well that kids, with a little explanation, will giggle and adults will nod their heads and sigh at how true and funny Chengdu's story is. Even pandas like to cuddle.

[Courtney K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to pick this up as I know a little someone who cannot, will not, fall asleep just about every night. The illustrations of the pandas and bamboo are beautiful and the story moves right along even though the scenery is very similar in each panel. My favorites: "everyone except" with just Chengdu's eyes is a perfect contrast to all the darkness in the rest of the book & finding the "perfect spot" which happens to be on his brother. This is also a nightly occurrence in our house.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one. We've all had those nights, haven't we? And we probably all have a Yuan/Chengdu in our lives! I like the texture and the style of the illustrations (plus the pandas are pretty cute too!). The fold-out pages are fun and give an interesting element to the story reading, though as a library book, they might eventually need some reinforcement, the way library fold-outs do.

As a storytime book, I'd use this with a bedtime/night/sleeping theme, or pandas. Or siblings!

[Jennifer Heise]

Chengdu can't find a position to fall asleep though everyone else in his family is already snoozing.
He tries everywhere. Eventually, he does find a(n awkward for someone else) comfy spot ...

Would be a good read-aloud, especially with those who love pandas; perhaps a last-book-of-the-night. Pair with Panda Kindergarten

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

As is so often the case in children’s books I love, the illustrations pushed this book over the top for me. I think they are very cute!

Chengdu is a panda who cannot fall asleep, regardless what he tries. Just when you think he’ll never sleep, he finds a solution.

A cute story about the comfort only family can give.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book about a panda who cannot sleep. He has my sympathy, for sure. I loved the illustrations with the evocative images of a bamboo forest at night, and also the text, which is simple, slightly repetitive, and fun. The fold out pages added yet another feature that kept my young listeners interested.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love this charming book. The illustrations are phenomenal, including the use of close-up and page flaps. The story is simple and sweet, and my toddler laughs at all of Chengdu’s attempts to fall asleep.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully illustrated story of a young panda bear that can't fall asleep. He tries many positions but nothing makes him sleepy. He finally climbs higher up the tree near his brother and is able to fall asleep, on top of his brother.

Highly recommended for storytime.

[Michelle Farella · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is always better to sleep with someone ;-)

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew from the title I'd like this one. I don't know why, I guess the "could not, would not" bit. But this is super cute and very much a possibility for a purchase next both for the cousins!

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be great for a "bedtime" theme. Lots of ways to incorporate actions, too!

[Lisa Fabiano · Rating 3 out of 5]

What is young panda Chengdu to do? No matter how he tosses and turns, he can't fall asleep. What will finally work? Charming illustrations make this a perfect bedtime story.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a cute children’s book.

[Danielle Robertson Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story, lovely artwork

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

So cute! Will use for storytime!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple, lovely little story of a panda who can't fall asleep. I liked the first book better, but this one was also cute.