Tired of standing in the children’s section of a bookstore or surfing websites swamped by so many choices? As you look around, colorful covers of cute characters look back at you. Which one to pick? Maybe Emma or John already has it? Hmmm…perhaps a hat and gloves set will do fine instead. Wait weary shopper! I have the book that will not only make you happy, but the child, and the parents, too. How is that for a win-win-win situation? Read on my friend…
I’m Really Not Tired hit the market about a month ago; good odds it won’t be a duplicate gift. It is an entertaining, clever, and well-written story of a boy’s curiosity about what goes on after he is put to bed. Lori Sunshine (yes, that is her real name), a mother of two and an award-winning writer, does an excellent job of interpreting the child’s imagination. The lively illustrations in this picture book, by Jeffrey Ebbeler, support the story in a humorous, straightforward manner.
The story opens as the little boy, Sam, together with his bear, Petey, climb into bed for the night. After lights out, his imagination runs wild as he attempts to uncover what he is missing.
“We miss all the fun, Pete. It’s really not fair,”
Sam said as they slid on their seats down a stair.
“Could our basement be filled with a thousand toy trains?
Does our bathroom have fish swimming up all the drains?”
Besides being a great holiday gift idea, the back-story intrigued me. The book came about because the author took lemons and made lemonade. Motivated to address a common issue, Lori expanded her career into a new area. When asked what inspired her, she told me, "When my son was little, he NEVER slept! He was sure we were having fun without him. So the book was written in a sleep-deprived haze! I thought it would be a creative way to point out how silly he was being. And have a little fun writing it! Plus, I figured we weren't the only parents with this problem. Other parents might get a kick out of the story, too!"
Indeed they will, Lori, as their children take a bedtime journey without having to get out from under the covers!
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