Can't Sleep

by Chris Raschka

The moon comforts bedtime fears.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Dogs

Hardcover

First published September 1, 1995

About the author

Chris Raschka is the illustrator of The Hello, Goodbye Window, which was awarded the Caldecott Medal. He is also the illustrator of the Caldecott Honor Book Yo! Yes?; Charlie Parker Played Be Bop; Mysterious Thelonious; John Coltrane’s Giant Steps; Can’t Sleep; and The Magic Flute. He lives with his wife and son in New York City.

Reviews

[Amy Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just another reason to love lady luna--she's always there for you, even when you can't sleep!  When one young dog is the first to go to bed, he finds that he just cannot fall asleep, and is resigned to listening to his older brother and parents slowly make their way to bed, too.  But what can he do besides remain awake?  Luckily, the moon will watch out for anything scary, and will shine light even though it's dark.  And perhaps once you do go to sleep, and when it's your time to wake up, you can watch out for the moon while she sleeps!  

Just absolutely adorable, and perhaps one of my favorites of Chris Raschka's.  Though let's be real--that illustration where the moon leans in and kisses the dog on the head?  MY HEART.  The illustrations were just fantastic, deconstructing apartment walls so that the inside is out and outside is in.  Just wonderful, this entire book.  Absolutely perfect for a child who has a hard time falling asleep at night.

Review cross-listed here!

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Appealing for a selenophile and past sufferer of insomnia like me.

[Celeste Powell · Rating 2 out of 5]

8 Can't Sleep
i) Can’t Sleep tells the story about this dog who is suffering from insomnia. While the dog lies awake at night, the moon acts as a guardian angel. The moon watches over the dog, keeps him company, and protects him. Even after the dog is finally able to go to sleep, the moon still continues his responsibilities. When the morning comes, it is now time for the moon to go to sleep, and the roles are changed. Now, it is the dog’s turn to watch over the moon and protect it.
ii) The theme of this book is friendship and how friends can be found in the most unlikely forms.
iii) Star Rating: 2
iv) This book reminded me of my childhood. When I was little, I had trouble sleeping in a big room by myself without my parents with me. I was scared of being alone in the dark, and I felt lonely. I could definitely relate to the emotions that the dog was feeling in the story. To comfort me, I found friendship in stuffed animals that I had. Whenever I would feel lonely, I would sleep with my stuffed lemur animal, and everything would be better.
v) I recommend teachers read this story to students to start a conversation about what is their biggest fear. From there, the teacher could go further into the subject by coming up with ways the students could try to face their fears on their own. Also, the story could be used to help ease young children who suffer from feelings of abandonment. The teacher could ask the students who are people that they can count on their life, and why they feel that way.

[Liane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Picture Book

Reading Level: Late Emergent

Topics & Themes: Not being able to fall asleep. Moon watching and protecting.

Curricular Use: Read aloud

Literary Elements: Personification: dog characters and moon as a being. Chunked text into a rhythmic pattern.

Text & Pictures: Interaction of text and pictures. Moon's eye turned to dog who cannot sleep. Some pages have no text and use illustrations to show the reader the action.

Additional Notes: Olivia's nomination for “Won't You Be My Neighbor” Award.
Love the simple illustration of the moon kissing a finally sleeping dog good night.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very charming little book. I really like it as something for a kid who has trouble sleeping - I was like that as a kid and this book might have helped (especially because the characters are dogs and I had dogs as a child). I love the art style; it's very simple and stylized, and I love the use of brushstrokes, and the way that the art isn't quite grounded in reality. It gives the book a sort of floaty feeling that is really good for a book about going to sleep.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet bedtime story that offers readers reassurance for peaceful slumber. Lyrical text promises the moon will watch over you as you sleep and in the morning you will return the favor.

Watercolor paintings are beautiful. My favorite image is of the moon softly kissing the head of a sleeping dog. Waht a ice image to drift off to sleep to... PreK-2.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

A so-so bedtime story from Chris Raschka. Never a fan of his work and this book didn't change my mind. Raschka rambles on about the moon and how it will watch over sleeping or not-able-to-sleep children.

Not conducive to being a read-aloud as text is blocked in choppy segments.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about not being able to sleep with reassurance that the moon will be the one that keeps watch while everyone goes to sleep and so can you. The text flows over to following pages which makes it more difficult for a larger group with the smaller illustrations. Good for one on one

[Sabeen]

this was such a sweet and creative book! i think it fosters a love of nature in your children. You can also compare the moon that stays awake to the children parent, as parents stay awake when their children are awake and also watch over them and protect them.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

reassuring story about the moon staying awake until a child falls asleep.

[Kjartan A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great pictures and a cute story!! If I were to use this in my classroom I would use on the youngest children, as the oldest probably would find this book a little boring.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story to read with younger children about sleep. May be used to calm children down before nap time if they have trouble resting.

[Rose Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why did it take me 18 years to discover this charming picture book? I was entranced! Lovely!

The moon watches over you while you sleep, if you are frightened and lonely.

[Danielle]

CAN'T SLEEP is so sweet.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little more tender than I have expected from Raschka, but his economical use of brushstrokes and text, and use of a dog as the main character make this an enjoyable end-of-the-day read.

[Christina Maksymczuk]

I like the illustrations in this book and the dog is really cute. Children can relate to the main character.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice enough story about the moon watching over a dog who can't sleep. Didn't like the pictures.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like a modern free-verse poem, with line breaks/page breaks in strange places. Even so, I enjoyed the imagery of the dog family going to bed, while the moon watches over the sleepless child. It would take a little practice to get the right cadence for a read aloud.

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was ok. It was simple and slow. The pictures are rudimentary.

[XUE · Rating 4 out of 5]

sweet /// Jan 24, 2022