Review - Sleep Tight, Charlie

Sleep Tight, Charlie
by Michaël Escoffier
illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo
Date: 2017
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 56
Format: e-book
Source: library

It's been a busy day, and Charlie, like any tired rabbit, is ready for bed. He arranges his slippers and glass of water, finds his teddy bear, and checks to make sure there are no monsters under the bed. But just as he drifts off to sleep, TAP TAP TAP, a loud noise outside the window, wakes him up. It's not just the tapping of Bird that keeps him up, Squirrel starts cracking nuts, then Mouse begins playing on the swings. Will Charlie ever get some rest?! This playful and beautifully illustrated picture book is funny and entertaining. Charlie's humorous expressions, inspired by slapstick comedians like Charlie Chaplin, will make you laugh out loud at every turn.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

The cover of this book is odd, in that it doesn't really reflect what you're going to see on the inside. I wasn't even sure if I liked the style of illustration here. It grew on me by the end, but it's kind of dull and muted, and the characters have strange expressions at times. I'm not sure how appealing it would be for kids.

The story is somewhat cute, with Charlie trying to get some sleep, only to be interrupted by noise after noise, and getting more befuddled as his sleep deprivation worsens. The squirrel cracking nuts (with a nutcracker!) was fun, but I didn't like how Charlie ended up treating his neighbours. I get that he was frustrated, but he was awfully mean to the poor little mouse who just wanted to play on the swings; after threatening the mouse with a big cat and making it cry, he then screamed at the poor thing. (So I wasn't very sympathetic when, at the end of it all, Charlie himself was called out by the monster under the bed for snoring too loudly.)

So this book was just mediocre for me. I'm not sure how well it would go over with kids, either.

Premise: 2/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.5 out of 5