Yawn

by Sally Symes, Nick Sharratt (Illustrator)

Sean gave a yawn and passed it on to Cat. Cat gave a yawn and passed it on to Bird. Bird gave a yawn and passed it on to... This title lets you follow the yawn and catch it yourself as you make your way up to bed.

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2011

About the author

Sally Symes has designed, written, and illustrated many books with numerous talented partners. She lives in England with her husband, two children, and Bumble the cat.

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Someday when I win the lottery, I am going to found a publishing house dedicated SOLELY to providing big book formats of great baby and toddler books so they can be better used in storytime. I will run it at a loss, give thousands of books away, and we will all live happily ever after.

[Tim Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, my daughter loves to have this book read to her every night when it is bedtime

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

The use of the cutout circle in the opening pages that extends through the book to its back cover is an amusing concept, giving the book's contagious yawn a palpable presence to the reader. While every creature whose yawn is "caught" by the next may not necessarily seem a naturally logical continuation, the rhythm of the story and how the yawn bounces from person to person in it clearly makes it memorable for even the youngest readers. My sister's baby, one year old when she started reading Yawn, was able to anticipate the word that would lead off each next page after only a few readings of the book, and that counts for something. She found Yawn entertaining and fun to read repeatedly, and I had a good time with it, too.

While board books don't always differ a lot in execution, author Sally Symes makes the effort to take a fresh approach in this book, and I heartily approve of that. Also, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the keen planning of a bedtime book that has the involved reader already yawning half a dozen times before the story is even complete. By the time the book is through, all that yawning is bound to have an effect on a sleepy listener. There isn't much content to the story, which is why I don't rate it higher, but I'm comfortable giving one and a half stars to Yawn, and I'm sure it will be a popular read among the toddler set for as long as it remains in print.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The younger the audience, the more difficult it can be to create an effective reading experience. Yawn by Sally Symes, and perfectly illustrated by the fabulous Nick Sharratt, knocks it out of the park. The book follows a yawn as it's past through a menagerie of critters, with each page centering around a cutout circle which imitates the motion one's mouth makes while yawning, or, more importantly, saying the word "yawn", or the sound "aw". This kind of phonological coaching is rare in toddler books, and it's perfectly executed here with a story that's actually fun to read. This would be a great toddler storytime/ book set book!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sean gives a yawn and passes it along. Symes's guessing game rhyming text and Sharrat's boldly colored characters with large die-cut mouths (with plenty of yawning while reading) will make this the just-right book to share before bedtime.

[Teacher. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was instantly drawn to the front cover of the board book Yawn by Sally Symes. The front cover is bright and bold and I think would also draw in the intended audiences of toddlers.

The story begins, like the front cover with toddler, Sean yawning widely. To demonstrate the large yawn, there is a deep hole in the center of the page. It’s one of those books that begs you to find out what’s next, and how the story continues to use this deep hole. The story is set in rhyme and shows that toddler Sean has passed the yawn to an animal friend, who continues to pass the yawn on and on. The last page of the book is perfect showing all the friends together finally succumbing to that much needed nap.

I really enjoyed this book with its bold illustrations and turnable pages. I think toddlers will enjoy the connection between all of these animals too. The story lends itself to little ones guessing the next animal as they read. The story also turns out to be a kind of night time book, showing all of the sleepy friends. At our house we are always looking for more bedtime tales. I would recommend this book for parents with tots who like to read bedtime stories. I can’t wait to read it with my Lil Guy tonight.

[Annissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Copyright: 2011 by Sally Symes
Number of pages:
Book Format: board book
Reading level: unknown
Genre: Fiction
Lit Requirement: baby book

Summary: The main character of the book, Sean, started the book with a yawn. Each new page, Sean passes his yawn to a new animal until the book ends with an elephant saying its time for bed.

Review:
This book is great as a bedtime story for children because it has a simple story line and even is about being tired and yawning. I enjoyed reading this book while being silly and making different yawning sounds throughout the book. This book will keep the interest of a young child because of the sounds the reader makes. I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys reading bedtime stories to their children.

[Mackenzie Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very simple, but would be great for beginning readers! The "yawn..." theme coupled with rhyming offers an air of predictability that is crucial for beginning readers. It also allows children to practice learning their animals. Ideally this book could be read before nap time, to allow children to unwind prior to falling asleep, but it could also be read in small groups just to give kids extra practice. Very cute, creative, and nicely illustrated!

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am always on the look out for good board books that are the appropriate length for a toddler's attention span and expand vocabulary. This book does that. My almost two year old likes this book. He names the animals as they appear. If he keeps his attention to the end and participates in the reading, the book is a winner and the author knows her audience. I strongly reccommend this book for young toddlers.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really cute book -- it has a cutout for the yawning mouth, so obviously, it's crazy adorable. But more than that, it's just a fun, engaging story. I don't usually like to use board books in storytime because they're so small, but this one has clean and bold images and the rhyming text is so perfect for toddlers that it's hard to resist.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, I'd give this more stars if it weren't in board book format. It's the perfect read aloud but it's too small as a board book for everyone to see. Still, an awesome book with perfect, bold, bright illustrations.

[jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really got this to read to William, but I think Natalie enjoyed it a lot more. She was able to guess some of the rhymes the first time through. I liked the cut out and thought the idea of passing on the yawn was cute.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and quick read for bed-time. The yawn is a cut out of each page and follows a picture of the next animal yawning. Love the rhythm and rhymes in the book. A definite favorite read for my daughter!

[Cai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone yawns when they are tired, but did you know you can catch a yawn? A book about giving and catching a yawn.

We read this as a part of Babes'n'Books at our local library. I loved the bold illustrations and the big gap was something different.

V @ 5 months old.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son received this when he was 1, but didn't start to enjoy it until he was almost 4. He likes the rhythm of words, the fun pictures, and the simplicity. It just makes him giggle because it's silly, as intended.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This bedtime board book is super-fun and super-cute.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely too long for a board book. They should release this as a full size picture book. It would be a fun readaloud.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute and hilarious and--*yaaawn*

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sean's yawn is passed to a variety of different animals in this bed-time board book featuring a giant cut-out. Clever.

[Brenna Call · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute, predictive bedtime book! Sure to become a favorite.

[Rochelle Sondae · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun read aloud bedtime book revolving around a cast of sleepy characters and their ever smaller yawns.

[Thia]

super cute bedtime board book, also has rhymes so a good guessing one for older kids

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 14 month old loved this between sticking her hands through the book and laughing at my "yawn" this was a great find!

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read at Drop-In Story Time on 12/18/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

[Huda Fel · Rating 5 out of 5]

All creatures yawn when they're sleepy (:

[Felicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a cute book, but just okay. The rhyme is forced on the page with the rabbit. And it is a giant run on sentence. Perhaps better for a bit older age group than 12 months.

[Jeremiah Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice rhythm of reading. Good "go to bed" book.

[Emmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its good if you are two and learning to speak. better than most baby books. good rhythm and it makes me yawn, so its interesting ;)

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This will be great for a Y story time. The kids will enjoy shouting out the animals. I only wish the book itself were a little bit bigger.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fun rhyme book when I read it to my daughter I often like to slap along with the beat on my leg. I had it memorized very quickly she had me read it so many times.