Sam Can't Sleep

by Davide Calì, Anna Aparicio Català

A restless bat wakes every animal in the jungle as he asks why he can’t sleep. Only when the sun comes up does he find his answer . . .

When Sam can’t sleep, he decides to ask all the other animals in the jungle if they know why. But Elephant, Snake, Monkey, Tiger and Crocodile aren’t very happy about being woken up in the middle of the night. Will Sam ever find out why he can’t sleep? With a colorful palette that is exciting yet impeccable for nighttime, Sam Can’t Sleepis the perfect “can’t-get-to-sleep” bedtime story.

Genres: Picture Books, Nature, Animals, Childrens, Spanish Literature

40 pages, Hardcover

Published April 6, 2021

About the author

Davide Calì is a Swiss-born Italian writer of picture books and graphic novels, primarily for children and young adults. He lives in Italy. His work has been published in twenty-five countries and translated into many languages.

Reviews

[Helin Puksand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Armas raamat Hugost, kes käib öösel mööda metsa ja küsib erinevate loomade käest, miks ta magada ei saa. Sobib algajale hispaania keele õppijale, kuna keel on lihtne ja lugu mõistetav. Muidugi sobib ka lastele.
Un libro encantador sobre Hugo, que camina por el bosque de noche y pregunta a varios animales por qué no puede dormir. Adecuado para estudiantes que aprenden español, ya que el idioma es simple y fácil de entender. Por supuesto, también es adecuado para niños.

[Perla ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hugo me cayó rebién.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hugo no puede dormir. Recorre la jungla preguntando a los animales si saben por qué no puede dormir. El elefante, el mono y el tigre están muy molestos porque los despiertan en medio de la noche. Incluso la gacela está molesta, aunque es educada con Hugo. Finalmente, el cocodrilo le dice a Hugo la verdadera razón por la que no puede dormir. ¡Es un murciélago nocturno!

¡Me encantó esta linda historia! Hay mucha repetición en la historia cuando Hugo despierta a cada animal, lo cual es perfecto para lectores jóvenes que aman la repetición.

¡Hugo es un pequeño murciélago tan lindo! Me encantaron las ilustraciones brillantes y los diálogos divertidos.

Descargo de responsabilidad: Recibí una copia de este libro del editor a cambio de una revisión gratuita y honesta. Todas las opiniones expresadas aquí son mis propios pensamientos verdaderos y no están influenciadas por nadie.

Hugo can't sleep. He goes all around the jungle asking the animals if they know why he can't sleep. The elephant, monkey, and tiger are all very annoyed to be woken up in the middle of the night. Even the gazelle is annoyed, although she is polite to Hugo. Finally the crocodile tells Hugo the real reason why he can't sleep. He's a nocturnal bat!

I loved this cute story! There is a lot of repetition in the story as Hugo wakes up each animal, which is perfect for young readers who love repetition.

Hugo is such a cute little guy! I loved the bright illustrations and the funny dialogue.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfi...

SAM CAN'T SLEEP is a fun picture book read that introduces the concept of nocturnal animals. It's nighttime, and all the animals are asleep - well, all but one. Sam the bat is unable to sleep. He decides to go and ask the other animals why he is unable to sleep. Eventually, he gets his answer - he is a bat, and bats sleep during the day! When the sun comes up, Sam finds that he is finally able to sleep. However, all the other animals and awake and a bit noisy, so Sam reminds them that he is trying to sleep!

What I loved: The artwork in this book is lovely! The colors are really great, with animals that pop and a really cool, artistic vibe. The story is simple, but will make young children giggle as all the animals tell Sam that they are trying to sleep. When the answer comes as to why Sam can't sleep, even more silliness ensues. Children who have trouble sleeping sometimes will understand how Sam feels and enjoy his story.

Although there are lots of dark backgrounds, the font is really clear and easy to read, making this a good choice for reading aloud. The amount of text on each page is great for young children, so it would work for a range of picture book readers.

Final verdict: With fantastic art and a silly story, SAM CAN'T SLEEP is a fun picture book read. Recommend for toddlers through elementary school aged readers.

Please note that I received a review copy. All opinions are my own.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s nighttime and the jungle is quiet. But Sam’s eyes are wide open because he can’t sleep. He finds a succession of sleeping animals to ask for advice – elephant, snake, monkey, tiger, gazelle and crocodile. Some are annoyed, and at least one wants to eat him. It is crocodile who informs Sam that he can’t sleep because he’s a bat, and bats sleep during the day. When he finally falls asleep as the sun rises, the jungle is waking up and there is hissing, roaring and more. ‘”Heeeeeey!” Sam shouts. “Can’t you please keep it down? Someone is trying to sleep here.”‘

A gorgeous tropical palette of deep turquoise, red, yellow and black evokes nighttime in the jungle. Shapes and patterns of plants and animals swirl around the little white big-eared bat, in full-bleed silk screen-like art. The dialogue reminds me of a folktale, with the wise animals giving the young one counsel. Several wordless pages invite young readers to examine the expressions on the animals’ faces and to infer their meanings. A nice offering for bedtime.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sam can't figure out why it's impossible for him to fall asleep. Because he's restless, he pesters several other jungle animals, including Elephant, Snake, Monkey, Tiger, and Gazelle, but none of them has any idea what to say. Besides, they're trying to sleep or watch over their sleeping offspring. Crocodile has the answer, though, and Sam realizes that this makes sense. But by now, all the animals are wide awake, partly because of Sam but partly because of the rising sun. Sam expresses his annoyance with the racket the other animals are making since now he's trying to sleep during the daytime, which is normal for bats. The illustrations in this picture book are very bright, filled with warm colors and lots of oranges, reds, and greens. They're a little too bright for my taste, but youngsters will probably like them. This might be a good read aloud for youngsters as there are some pages with just illustrations that show the animals' reactions and slumbering.

[The Blossoming Bibliophiles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an adorable and beautifully illustrated story about a bat who can't seem to fall asleep like the rest of the animals in the jungle.

He disturbs the sleep of several different animals, by asking them why he can't sleep, until an accommodating crocodile breaks it to Sam that he is nocturnal. As the sun rises, Sam finally relaxes into a cozy slumber, but will his animal friends let him sleep?

I absolutely love the color palette in this book, and it makes the perfect quick bedtime read that will surely entertain your little sleepyhead!

[The Silvan Reverie | Sarah Street · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam Can't Sleep is a funny and simple story about a bat that isn't aware he's nocturnal and cannot figure out why all his animal friends are asleep while he is awake. The narrative follows a predictable format, which is perfect for young children. Illustrations are stylized and vivid, which is intriguing and playful.

***Note: I was given a review copy of this book by Publisher Spotlight. Opinions are my own.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is pretty adorable and funny. The illustrations are colorful and engaging and funny. It provides a good opportunity to talk about nocturnal animals. If your child isn't yet familiar with them you'll definitely need to explain what they are to have the book make sense!

[Pablohoney Thebends · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5
Esta simpático. Con un final chistoso.
Los animales de la selva se enojan pq Hugo no los deja dormir. Su travesía para saber porque no puede dormir es bien simple para pequeñitos.
Las ilustraciones son bonitas y divertidas.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sam learns the reason he can't sleep at night is because he's a bat.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book. Practicing my Spanish reading comprehension. Needed to translate a few words, but I thoroughly enjoyed the story. The illustrations are beautiful.

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 2 out of 5]

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.

[Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Sometimes I can’t sleep! I liked it because he was a bat and I like bats, they are cool. The pictures were pretty, I liked the end when all the animals were looking at him like, ‘what?!’” - Lucas

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was adorable, I am planning on buying it in both English and Spanish for my friends who have kids.
Thank you to Edelweiss for the arc ebook!!