Don't Close Your Eyes: A Silly Bedtime Story

Don't Close Your Eyes: A Silly Bedtime Story, by Bob Hostetler, Illustrated by Mark Chambers, is a sweet board book.  From the publisher's description:

Children have a lot of fun packed into a day, and they don't always want it to end. Award-winning author Bob Hostetler capitalizes on this by challenging little ones to keep their eyes open, no matter how heavy their eyelids may get. The soft rhymes about animals preparing for sleep will help them settle down until they finally close their eyes and sleep! 

With silly and adorable characters whose sleepy faces will make you laugh out loud, Don’t Close Your Eyes is a unique bedtime book that your child will reach for again and again. Get ready for bed and say your prayers, but whatever you do, don't close your eyes!

I love the premise of this book, challenging sleepy little ones to keep their eyes open so they won't fall asleep.  Most of the rhymes are a little stiff, which makes the read-aloud rhythm a bit clunky. For me, the best part of rhyming books is the fun cadence.  The illustrations, of sleepy animals attempting to stay awake, are adorable, though, and the sentiment is lovely.

Bottom line: This is a cute book, but I would suggest reading it aloud before you buy (the Amazon Look Inside feature doesn't show much, so look for it at a local bookstore or your library), to make sure you're ok with the sometimes clunky rhythm.

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.