Book cover of “Stop That Yawn!” by Caron Levin.
Granny’s yawn puts town to sleep
Caribbean L 34 ife, Jan. 11–17, 2019
“Stop That Yawn!” by Caron
Levis, illustrated by LeUyen
Pham
c.2018, Atheneum Books for
Young Readers
$17.99 / $23.99 Canada
48 pages
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
“I’m not tired!”
That’s what you might say
when it’s time for bed. You
want to stay awake for awhile.
Who can shut their eyes when
fun might be happening?
You’re not tired, but in the
new book “Stop That Yawn!”
by Caron Levis, illustrated by
LeUyen Pham, you might act
like you are.
Gabby Wild lived with her
Granny in Sleepytown. And she
was tired of it!
All they ever did was sleep,
nap, snooze, and lay in bed.
Ugh, who needs that? Gabby
begged and begged Granny to
take her somewhere fun, somewhere
there was action and
where people actually stayed
up all night. Finally, Granny
agreed and they packed their
toothbrushes.
When they finally reached
Never Sleeping City, it was
glorious. Nobody went to bed
early. Nobody went to bed at
all! Instead, they sung songs
all night that weren’t lullabies,
they enjoyed blinky lights, and
they had ice cream whenever
they wanted it. There was an
opera house and dancing and
music!
It was so much fun! It was so
exciting, until Granny looked
up to the skies. The moon was
quiet and peaceful. Stars were
twinkling softly. And — uh oh
— she yawned.
As quick as a wink, the
Yawn oozed down on Never
Sleeping City. On the sidewalks,
circus animals yawned
and nodded off. The ice cream
man took a snooze. The city’s
baker stretched and opened his
mouth wide. Gabby started to
panic!
“Quick!” she yelled. “Grit
your teeth, seal your lips, we
have to stop that.“
But it was too late. The
Yawn spread all through the
city, up and down the streets,
into shops and opera houses
and into Never Sleeping City ’s
city hall. Gabby rang bells, she
shouted, but the Yawn was everywhere.
Never Sleeping City
was now asleep.
There was just “one place
left for her to turn.” There was
only one thing Gabby could do.
There was just one place left to
go, and she would have to take
Granny with her!
For a book that would otherwise
make an excellent bedtime
story, “Stop That Yawn!” has
a surprising amount of action
in it.
If you’re a parent who’ll be
charged with reading it aloud,
take that as a warning. Author
Caron Levis tells a great story,
but the arrival in and the ensuing
run through the fictional
Never Sleeping City could serve
to rouse a kid who’s a master at
fighting sleep. There’s a lot to
see in artwork by LeUyen Pham
and while the illustrations are
wonderful, they’re busy enough
to add to the battle.
“Stop That Yawn!” author
Caron levis. Jeremy Saladyga