Time to Sleep Big Book by Jenkins, Steve, Page, Robin (July 1, 2014) Paperback

by Steve Jenkins

Its time to sleep! Who dozes standing on one leg without falling over, snores while flying, or snuggles together in a big sleepy pile?

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Animals, Science, Childrens, Nature, Storytime

Unknown Binding

First published March 28, 2011

About the author

Steve was born in 1952 in Hickory, North Carolina. His father, who would become a physics professor and astronomer (and recently his co-author on a book about the Solar System), was in the military and, later, working on science degrees at several different universities. We moved often. Steve lived in North Carolina, Panama, Virginia, Kansas, and Colorado. Wherever he lived, he kept a menagerie of lizards, turtles, spiders, and other animals, collected rocks and fossils, and blew things up in his small chemistry lab.

Because he moved often, Steve didn't have a large group of friends, and he spent a lot of time with books. His parents read to him until he could read himself, and he became an obsessive reader.

His interest in science led me to believe that I'd be a scientist himself. At the last minute, he chose instead to go to art school in North Carolina, where he studied graphic design. After graduation he moved to New York City, where he worked in advertising and design, first in large firms and then with his wife, Robin Page, in their own small graphic design firm. Robin, also an author and illustrator, is his frequent collaborator — they've made sixteen children's books together.

Their daughter Page was born in 1986 and our son, Alec, two years later. They began reading to them when they were just a few months old, and Steve became interested in making children's books himself. My wife and I read to our two older children almost every night until hisdaughter was 12 or 13, long after they were reading on their own. It was, in many ways, the best part of the day.

In 1994 they moved to from New York City to Boulder, Colorado, where they work in a studio attached to their house, which was built in the 1880s and often functions as if it were still the 19th century.

Their youngest son, Jamie, was born in 1998. The questions his children asked over the years have been the inspiration for many of their books.

Librarian's Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes indeed, Steve Jenkins' and Robin Page's Time to Sleep really does generally do a pretty enlightening and thorough educational job portraying the sleeping habits of seventeen diverse animal species (and thankfully not only mammals either) with each species being specifically illustrated as to how it snoozes (via Steve Jenkins' always expressive and colourful collage-like images) as well as a brief and simply stated explanatory commentary (always pointing out what makes the sleeping habits of each of the featured animals unique, how for example the hairy armadillo snoozes for more than twenty hours a day, whereas the giraffe's sleep time usually equals less than two daily hours, that green sea turtles must hold their breath while sleeping underwater and that storks actually seem to take a series of short power naps whilst in flight). With the added bonus of there also being at the back of Time to Sleep additional information and details on each of the seventeen animal species (and not so much on their sleeping habits, but more on where their natural habitats are located and what their diets generally consist of) Time to Sleep is both informative and engaging (with quite a lot of featured information in relatively short nuggets of knowledge, but indeed and in my opinion still simple enough for even very young children and this especially if Time to Sleep is to be used as a read-aloud).

Three solid stars for Time to Sleep and definitely recommended as a good and basic introduction to animal slumbering habits for younger children (although personally, I really do wish that for one Time to Sleep would also include a list of titles for further reading and study and that for two, Steve Jenkins and Robin Page would also mention that quite a goodly number of the featured and portrayed animal species are sadly and frustratingly considered vulnerable and in danger of extinction).

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Workmanlike and insufficient. Even the youngest children deserve more than this simple list... no patterns of animal families or geographical regions, no bibliography, nothing to help a learner master the material or be inspired to find something more.

[Kathy Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This non-fiction children’s book uses colorful imagery and wording to illustrate the sleeping habits of seventeen diverse animals. From some of the world’s smallest to the world’s largest, readers learn unique facts about animals that can sleep standing up, sleep while flying, sleep underwater, and so much more! Readers will enjoy the vas differences in these animals and will be surprised by some of the information they learn. One of the unique characteristics of this book is the authors included more facts about these seventeen animals in the back of the book! This provides readers with the opportunity to learn more about the animals, not just their sleep patterns.

Time to sleep by Steven Jenkins and Robin Page is both informative and engaging. This book could serve as a mentor text in many different grade levels, although I believe it is best suited for third through fifth grade. Teachers could create mini lessons that can also tie into science lessons where students are learning about animals. The teacher could ask students to create a project based on their favorite animal they read about. Not only will this aid students in reading comprehension, it will also help them make connections to multiple subjects while working on their writing and oral presentation skills. Furthermore, teachers could ask students to make predictions about each animal before reading the book and explain why they have created that particular prediction. Once the book is read, students can compare and contrast what they thought to what they learned. Teachers could also create an open discussion forum where students talk about what facts surprised them the most, what they learned, etc. This nonfiction children’s book is a great educational piece and conversation starter for children and I would recommend it to anyone to read!

[Isabella Marrier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jenkins gives readers an inside look at the length, purpose, and location of different animals sleeping habits. We get to learn about animals who may or may not partake in hibernation. Conversations can be created about the importance of obtaining proper amounts of sleep. Also, do we feel safe and secure when we sleep? Why or why not? I love how Jenkins keeps all open space on the pages white, because the illustration details of each animal is extremely realistic. The background, does not disrupt the main focus.

[Mely · Rating 4 out of 5]

How interesting! A wonderful book with lots of interesting facts about the different ways animals sleep. Beautifully illustrated. A great non-fiction read for younger children.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book! Lots of great information and beautiful illustrations!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good art and great animal facts!

[Fairport Public Library]

Children's, January 2024, Lauren S

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

A different approach to a nonfiction picture book about animals...all about how they sleep.
Great book!

[Brittany Martz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great big book that students will enjoy looking at and reading individually or as a whole class. This book includes information about how different animals sleep. The neat thing about this book is students can relate the animals because they need to sleep too. The words in this book are very child-friendly and include just enough factual information. Some of the words are in bold for emphasis while others are in bold because it is the name of a new animal. The pictures in this book are huge so the animals stand out and take up most of the page.I like how throughout the book there are questions so the students can feel like they are engaged into the book and can actually answer the question before they read about the animal. In the back of the book is a list of all the animals that were talked about throughout the book. These pages provide more information about each animal in case a person wants to know more about a particular animal. I could do so much with this book in my classroom and I think my students would enjoy this book as well. This would be a great book for a student to use for a research project on a particular animal. We could also make a compare and contrast chart and talk about ways that are similar and different to the way that they sleep at home. (Informational Nonfiction)

[Vanessa Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audience: I think the audience for this book could be anywhere from Kindergarten through third graders. I know young children, like toddlers, would love for this book to be read to them also.

Appeal: All kids will love this book because it involves fun animals. It gives interesting facts about each animal and how they sleep at night. By reading this book, I even learned many facts about some of the animals that I had never known before. The older kids will love that there is an extra part in the back of the book with more fun facts about each animal. The pictures of the animals are very fun and colorful.

Application: I can read this book to teach kids about animals. Maybe we are going to go to the zoo for a field trip, so this would be a great book to read to kids before they go to the zoo. Parents could read this book to their children before bedtime because at the end of the book there is a question, "Where will you fall asleep tonight?"

Copyright: 2011

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book I picked up for my son that was a little too advanced for him at the moment. Again love the illustrations and the facts and descriptions about the animals/amphibians/birds/fish are better I think than "Time to Eat". For example, giraffes sleep less than two hours and a group of giraffes is called a corps or tower. The wood frog hibernates by freezing solid and thawing in the spring. Or that bottlenose dolphins "keep one half of their brain awake and one half asleep. The awake half tells the dolphin when to go up to breath, and the two halves take turns sleeping." I like fun factual information like that. Recommended for ages 5-9, 4 stars.

[Bridget R. Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know about sleeping, right? Lights out, eyes shut, in bed? Well, not if you're an animal. Time to Sleep explores the sleeping habits of 17 animals.

What I thought: Great as usual. Books by Jenkins & Page are always so interesting and informative. I love the more information section. Time to Sleep would work well for a bedtime or pajama story time for older kids. I really like the illustrations. I'm becoming quite fond of torn & cut paper collage. My favorite illustrations are hedgehog, koala, and gorillas.

[Ken Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Steve Jenkins has done an amazing job on this children’s book about sleeping. One thing that one would think be so boring be actually very interesting and informative. Page by page I was anticipating what animal was going to be next, seeing animals sleep was very interesting and almost thrilling. This book also engages students by asking questions that really make kids think. The information packed within this book is just amazing. This book would be a great addition to any classroom.

[Erin Buhr · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a word, this book is Fascinating. Did you know that an armadillo sleeps for more than 20 hours a day? Or that a wood frog actually freezes solid while it hibernates? I learned so much reading this book. Sleep is something most of us take for granted, but this book opens your mind to the great variation that even something so basic holds in the animal kingdom. A completely unique book about animals well illustrated by Jenkins' gentle touch. If you have an animal lover or just want to be wowed with information, this is a great book to pick up.

[Nicole]

Audience: Kindergarten-3rd grade students, animal lovers, students who enjoy non-fiction, classroom teachers, and librarians

Appeal: This book offers a kid friendly way to present information about how different animals sleep. The book addresses rare animals and the interesting ways and places they sleep. Children reading this will find this interesting information easy to read and the correlating pictures intriguing as well.

Award List: Eureka! Silver Honor Book

[Jess Farabaugh]

Time to sleep by Steve Jenkins is a non-fiction picture book appropriate for children ages 4 through 8. Throughout this book you learn about how many different animals get their sleep. This book invites children to look at even the most unusual ways that animals get their rest. For, example some animals sleep on one leg or deep down in a hole of at the bottom of ocean. This is a great book to use in the classroom to introduce your students to fun facts about all different types of animals.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a series of three books that looks at sleep, food, and bath-time for animals. When I saw the cover, I actually thought it would be more of a preschool picture book but it turns out to be a non-fiction book on how animals sleep. The whole collection would be nice to have in a classroom/school library.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love anything Steven Jenkins and his wife Robin Page do. They are awesome. Interesting facts about how animals sleep (a giraffe sleeps for less than two hours a day? a white stork for seconds at a time?) plus of course the illustrations are just BEAUTIFUL.

Yawn. Time for a nap now. In a good way!

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm on the lookout for interesting non-fiction for early readers. Steve Jenkins and Robin Page have this great series, with TIME TO SLEEP, TIME TO EAT, and TIME FOR A BATH. Each page has an animal with a fact-bite: "Snug in its underground burrow, the hairy armadillo snoozes for more than twenty hours a day." More for browsing than report-writing, this is pure fun to read.

[Julia Jasztal · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Mommy's review from 5/12)

This is a lot like some other books we've read, including a few by Jenkins. I have to admit that it's interesting even for adults so children will probably get a real kick out of it.
If you like this another cool one to check out is Everyone Poops by Tarō Gomi. Same idea, different subject, just as fun to read through if not more so.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another fantastically illustrated picture book for children by Steven Jenkins. Time to Sleep describes the various sleeping habits of several different species of animals. Did you know that the white stork sleeps while flying?? Kids will love this informative read and elementary teachers can easily use this as additional science curriculum.

[Jennifer Rasmussen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made an excellent companion to the alphabetical Crescent Dragonwagon's All the Awake Animals. Cute enough to be read at bedtime, informative enough to be talked about and read daytime. It answers questions you didn't know you had. It dovetailed nicely with the Radiolab story on sleep my children heard also!

[Cemeread · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just right for preschoolers. The torn and cut page collage animals are realistic and wonderful. I would love to have some of the artwork. The fact about each animal is short and interesting. Find out which animal is half brained about sleep, who's on autopilot, and who can sleep almost anywhere. An additional paragraph about each animal is provided after the "story' portion.

[Judy Desetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful! A must buy for my library. The information will keep kids interested and the illustrations go well.

Did you know scientists have not figured out if horned bees sleep or just rest at night?

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one in a series of three that are all equally well written. This one covers animals' sleeping patterns. It has a great end section containing additional information about each of animals mentioned in the text.

[Holly Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book after Over and Under the Snow. There are amazing facts about how animals sleep in this little book. Kids would love it, and there is a lot more information in the back on each animal featured.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accessible non fiction for the younger ages focusing on the unusual ways in which animals sleep. Did you know the wood frog freezes solid when it hibernates? That only half of a dolphin's brain sleeps at a time, so the other half can tell it to wake up and surface for air? Amazing.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

About how different animals sleep.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book shows how different animals sleep and is nicely paired with other Jenkins' titles. Entertaining science for young children is a skill that this author and his collaborators do well.