Close Your Eyes: A Book of Sleepiness

by Lori Haskins Houran, Sydney Hanson (Illustrations)

An irresistible bedtime celebration of cute.

Little night owls, take note: this bedtime book is filled with the sleepiest, snuggliest, most ridiculously snoozy-soft baby animals ever. Can you resist a drowsy little lamb? A bunny taking a nap with a guinea pig friend? A pile of dozy puppies? You'd better bring your coziest blankie, just in case. From the team behind the hilariously adorable classic Next to You comes a winsome new read-aloud to inspire sweet dreams.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

Published March 23, 2021

Reviews

[Michele H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the illustrations, and the story is perfect. Reminded me of rocking my kids to sleep when they were little - I was so tired, but they weren't!

[Samantha Ania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ummmm picture books have been on fire this spring! This is so cozy and clever!

[Kristin Guay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect for getting little ones ready for bed--almost makes the reader ready for bed as well! This story features pages and pages of cute little animals in various stages of falling asleep. They are yawning, stretching their legs, curling in little balls, and resting their heads down on the ground. Every once in a while, an occasional animal appears that is wide awake --including a frog that leaps across the page or an owl with bright open eyes in the nighttime sky. However, sleep eventually does come to every creature and this might include young children as well!

The illustrations are soft and dreamy with muted colors and very cuddly little creatures. The animals are curled up in the grass, gathered in a nest, settled into a fluffy bed, or even resting on top of the water in a pond.

[V · Rating 4 out of 5]

In its favor:
The animals are adorable, and T likes them. It's easy for him to read to himself.
Against it:
We're past the phase where we read calming picture books to put our toddler to sleep. There's no plot, character development, challenging vocabulary, or content that inspires imagination.

Note: A review copy was provided for the purposes of an honest review.

[Candice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the sweetest little bedtime book. I wish I had read it to my little last night when she was fighting to stay awake. The animals are precious, cuddly, and just the cutest storyline. I can’t wait to read this with my little again at bedtime tonight. Thank you to the author & publisher for sharing with #BookPosse!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another bedtime book using reverse psychology to lull your little one to sleep, like Don't Blink. The absolutely adorable animals on each page are just so droopy eyed and sleepy (until they aren't), that the best way to keep awake might just be to not look (by closing your eyes....) Not very original thematically, but irresistible nevertheless.

[Nicole Banach- Cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't Wanna Close My Eyes

I love all of Haskins Houran books. This book did not make me wanna close my eyes cause I wanted to read it to my kids and watch their adorable faces as they fought sleep.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adorable bedtime story. I highly recommend for little ones who need an extra cuddle before shutting their eyes.

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

The fluffy animals are devastatingly cute, and I love the conversational "don't fall asleep!" text. Incredibly cozy with a dose of funny.

[Honesty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, seriously, the pictures in this book were so cute that my brain exploded. 5 stars.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpectedly clever.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute! This is a perfect book to read for those hard to get to sleep children.

[Pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute animal bedtime story to close your eyes to.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me yawn. lol

[Elizabeth Chang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It has the most precious illustrations. I will read anything that this illustrator has illustrated!

The words were also a nice complement to the pictures.

[Darrell Robertson · Rating 3 out of 5]

good for going to bed or sleepy storytime

[Heydi Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

These vivid baby animal creatures will comfort little bits as they close their eyes and drift to sleep with these reassuring words. Very sweet.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO CUTE!

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super adorable illustrations!

[Ana Gutierrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute, adorable, and amusing with beautiful illustrations. It's short and sweet and worth a read through. 😄

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author/illustrator duo is a DREAM TEAM. Absolutely love this little bedtime book.