Chengdu Could Not, Would Not Fall Asleep
Barney Saltzberg
4 Stars

Chengdu is a panda bear. And it is night time and Chengdu and all the panda bears should be sleeping in their bamboo grove…only Chengdu can’t sleep. Chengdu does all sorts of things to try to get to sleep. He tossed and he turned but he just couldn’t get comfortable enough to get to sleep. Eventually he climbed up higher and higher until he found the perfect place to sleep…on top of his brother. Who then couldn’t sleep.

This is such a fun story about a simple concept that every little one can relate to. The illustrations are all black and white with a calm green of the bamboo shoots and leaves. With the dark sky and the black and white of the panda bears each page looks like a piece of panda bear artwork. And there is so much to read in the expressions of Chengdu’s eyes. All in all even though this is a simple story about trying to get to sleep, there is quite a bit that youngsters will take away from the story…and then they will want to read it again.

What to do after reading this story:
Learn about panda bears.
Talk about what helps you go to sleep.
Create a bedtime routine if you don’t have one already.
Take a nap or go to bed.
Snuggle with your brother (or sister or other family member).
Go to a nursery and look at some bamboo.
Plant some bamboo in a pot or in a garden.

Disney Hyperion Books, 2014
ISBN: 978-142316721-1
FORMAT: Picture Book
AGES: Preschool