Pajama Press

“Ben, the youngest of three children in his family, can’t swim yet, or use chopsticks, or see much out the car window. His fifth grader sister gets a report card with marks, and his third grader brother “gets comments for his subjects,” but Ben gets nothing. This leaves the preschooler feeling glum, until his siblings take him “into the office” to remedy one of the gaps. “They type on the computer. They print on the printer.” And then they issue him his own report card, awarding A+’s for his achievements, like “tooth brushing” and “shoe tying” and, most important, “making us laugh.” This sweet and charmingly illustrated book takes seriously a preschooler’s need to feel that he is not left behind, while wittily defusing the reverence for grading that’s been creeping into elementary school culture.”

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“Ben is not big. He is just a preschooler. His big sister, Robin, gets a report card in fifth grade, and his big brother Joe, in third grade, gets one, too. Ben feels more and more sad throughout the day when he keeps focusing on all the things his siblings can do that he cannot. That night, his siblings surprise him with a homemade report card, tracking all the things that Ben does best— like feeding the cat, whistling, and making others laugh. With encouraging comments and an A+ in all of his “subjects,” Ben goes to sleep feeling very proud for all that he can do. VERDICT Softly hued illustrations with crayon black outlines showcase a sweet family celebrating their abilities in this board book that is suited for shared reading, preferably while snuggled on someone’s lap.”

—Lisa Kropp, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

Despite the title, a boy named Ben is feeling anything but big—his older, school-age siblings get report cards, can swim, and have no trouble using chopsticks when the family goes out for dinner. Luckily, siblings Robin and Joe sense the preschooler’s unhappiness, and they create a report card just for Ben. His subjects include feeding the cat, shoe tying, and “making us laugh,” and he gets A-pluses across the board. Loosely defined by rough, crayonlike lines, LaFave’s images have a swoopy, gestural quality; like Ellis’s text, they take a minimalist approach to the range of emotions Ben is feeling, from jealousy to disappointment and pride. Ages 2–up.

Vancouver author Sarah Ellis is well-known for her books for young adults and intermediate readers. In A+ for Big Ben (Pajama Press, $10, board book) she has written a delightful story for youngest readers (ages 2-5)….

B.C. artist Kim La Fave has added large, colourful illustrations that help make this a book that will be a favourite with any child who wants to be “like the big guys.”
—Helen Norrie

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Ben is too small for most of the things older sister Robin and older brother Joe enjoy. Too small for school, too small for swimming strokes or reading the menu in a restaurant. Even too small to see out the window in the car. The sensitivity of his siblings helps lift Ben out of the funk he is in. The pair create a report card for Ben, complete with letter grades and comments. The assessment? It’s an A+ for Ben in all of the special talents he contributes to the family: feeding the cat, shoe tying, tooth brushing and making family members laugh.

This delightful short book perfectly encapsulates the trials and tribulations of being the baby of the family, all the while showing the special regard held toward him by the rest of the family.

Thematic Links: Family; Siblings; Report Cards

—Moira Kirkpatrick

“…This sweet story will resonate with preschool age children, especially those children who have older siblings to compare themselves to and who often feel or are told that they are too young to do certain things. The activities in Ben’s day are common in the lives of many preschoolers and will feel familiar….

The text of the story is simple, approachable, and strongly supported by the illustrations. The illustrations by Kim LaFave are bright and colorful. Each illustration is focussed on the subject (usually Ben), and backgrounds are sparse (if necessary for context) or not there at all. This method of illustrating makes it easy to infer the story from what the reader sees. The illustrations are also emotionally evocative…

A+ for Big Ben is a charming story of growing up, but not necessarily as fast as one might like. In particular, it will resonate with preschool aged children who always want to grow up and be just like the big kids. This would be a good purchase for public libraries and other libraries that serve children in the preschool age group.

Highly Recommended.”

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“A playful black-and-white kitten observes the ease with which Nat, a larger tiger-striped at, can sleep anywhere at any time of day in Allenby’s well-rhymed debut picture book. In rich hues and textures, Anderson’s multimedia illustrations depict a home full of sunlit rugs, bookshelves, pianos, toy-strewn floors, half-full chests, and chairs of all shapes and sizes—any of which Nat can turn into the perfect place for a nap. Nat sleeps sprawled on his back, curled in a ball, with paw-covered eyes, and in many other feline postures, while the kitten busily spends his daytime hours sliding down a banister, experimenting with a toy wand, and smiling admiringly at his sleepy companion. But when nighttime comes, Nat is finally ready to play, and the kitten has a rambunctious companion of his own at last…that is, until he gets worn out and falls asleep on top of Nat. Sweet without being saccharine, this is a good choice for group read-alouds.”
—Francisca Goldsmith

“Nat, an orange tabby cat, spends his day sleeping in spite of the bustle going on around him. In fact, he can sleep anywhere–in drawers, on the stairs, even in a “cooking pot” or “flopping halfway off a shelf.” But “when the nighttime quiet falls,/when strange shadows fill the halls,/” Nat comes to life, joined by a black-and-white kitten. They careen around on toys, jump on beds, and enjoy the night sky perched on a window sill. Young readers will enjoy the brief rhymed text and find themselves chiming in on the repeated refrain, “Nat the cat can sleep like that!” And they will especially relish telling the unwritten story depicted in the large, mixed-media illustrations. In the three-quarter-page pictures that appear beneath the text, occasionally interspersed with double-page bleeds featuring close-ups of the two felines, the energetic kitten who plays with Nat at night tries repeatedly to rouse him during the day. He dangles string toys in front of the lazy cat’s face, rolls balls, plays the piano, tries to entice him with games–all to no avail. But whether sleeping or cavorting through the house, these two kitties are sure to win youngsters’ hearts.”

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A most beautifully written and illustrated book about a little boy monster who lives with his parents and big [sisters]. To the family Tweezle seems like a little troublemaker but in reality he only wants to help out doing big kid stuff like his siblings

Being the baby of the family, Tweezle tries to do the things big kids do but always gets into trouble because he is too little. Stuff gets broken and a lot of messes need to be cleaned up but Tweezle doesn’t mean to be a troublemaker. When he finds a baby bird in trouble and fixes a nest for it, his family realizes that Tweezle means well and that he is growing up and not just a baby.

This book would be a helpful tool to read to an older sibling in preparation of a newcomer in the family. It could help explain to small children what happens when a new smaller child tries to play with them that sometimes they cannot do the same things as they do.

Rated E: Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!

Pajama Press is pleased to announce that Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That, written by Victoria Allenby and illustrated by Tara Anderson, has won the 2014 Preschool Reads Award.

Developed by Wee Read Guelph, Wellington, and Dufferin County, the Preschool Reads program is a reader’s choice award for young children who listen to a shortlist of four titles and vote for their favourite. This year’s shortlist also included:

• I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
• The Yoga Game by Kathy Beliveau and Farida Zaman
• Where do you Look? by Marthe and Neil Jocelyn

Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That is featured in the January/February 2014 issue of Chirp Magazine, the theme of which is “Time for Bed!” Reviewers have also been charmed by this determinedly dozy feline. Here’s what some of them had to say:

“…Allenby and Anderson have captured a cat any young ailurophile will recognize. The simple rhyming text listing the odd (yet realistic) places Nat can sleep during the daytime and all the silly mischief he and his black-and-white kitten sidekick get up to at night will hook young listeners. The watercolor, acrylic and pencil illustrations of floppy, goggle-eyed Nat and his buddy are a just-right pairing.

Good kitty fun that will demand repeated reads.”—Kirkus Reviews

“In Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That, author Victoria Allenby’s poetic text and illustrator Tara Anderson’s whimsical art lulls kids – and kitten – to sleep, making it a lovely bedtime read

But it’s more than a bedtime story: it’s a tale of friendship and acceptance. It’s a story in which kids safely explore relational differences and boundaries through the eyes of cats.

…. Parents and teachers will love Allenby’s word play. Her use of repetition and alliteration is calming and her steady cadence is mesmerizing. Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That is a story of love and limits… and it might just induce a good night’s sleep.”—The National Reading Campaign

“The rhyming word choice is spare in this delightful picture book for younger children, and deliberately so….Tara Anderson’s illustrations are whimsical and fun… Although the illustrations complement the story, they also tell a story of their own, encouraging children, and their grownups, to read the story again and again.

The mood of the book is playful, easily appealing to a preschool audience. Victoria Allenby’s title is a perfect choice for bedtime and storytimes for young children. Highly Recommended.”—CM Magazine ****/4

“This rhyming story has a playful tone, great for reading aloud to preschoolers. The adorable illustrations by Tara Anderson, rendered primarily in pencil crayon, will appeal to the target audience a great deal, and may even inspire them to try their hand at similar drawings. The onomatopoeia in words like “whoosh,” “shush” and “hush” further add to the light heartedness of the book, and will be fun for kids to imitate.”—Resource Links

Click here for full reviews. You can also download Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That  worksheets to help kids learn about prepositions and rhyming.

Happy reading!