Twenty Yawns

Twenty Yawns by Jane Smiley and Lauren Castillo (2016)

After a long day at the beach, everyone is sleepy. After mom falls asleep reading to her, Lucy finds herself wide awake in a sleeping house. She tiptoes around in the mysterious moonlight to retrieve her lovey, Molasses. Of course, she can’t leave the other toys behind, so tucks them all into the moonlit bed with her before they all—YAWN!—fall asleep. Castillo’s gorgeous large, clear illustrations paired with Smiley’s evocative prose make this a great fit for storytime.

Themes/topics: bedtime, beach, stuffed animals, being awake

Sample text:

The moon shone through the window, a silver veil that fell across the floor. Everything looked mysterious, even Lucy’s own hands on the bedspread. Suddenly, Lucy was wide awake.

She looked around. Everyone in the pictures seemed to be watching her—Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Elizabeth, Mom, and Dad. Even Fred, in the book that Mom had dropped on the floor.

Lucy slipped out of bed and padded to the door. Her dad was snoring in the living room. The house was verrrrrry quiet. Lucy needed Molasses, her bear.