Review Detail

Just One More Sleep

Kids Fiction 99

Always something good around the corner

April 07, 2024

Overall rating

3.5

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

3.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

3.0

A little girl is sad that her birthday is over and that she will have to wait another whole year until she gets to celebrate again. She learns that waiting is a lot easier when broken down into smaller chunks, and that there are plenty of other reasons to be glad. She enjoys being with her family, and having new experiences like going to summer camp and starting a new school year. At the end, she is glad that a year has made her a better person.

Good Points

Curtis and Cornell have done over a dozen books together over the last thirty years, and this follows a similar format. The verse is serviceable, but could have used one more pass of the editor's pen; I'm very picking about meter, and other people won't notice. Cornell's illustrations remind me of the books I read to my children back in the 1990s, with crowded backgrounds with lots of details, and a frenetic feeling of movement on the page.

Not only is this a book about waiting that would pair well with titles like Henkes' Waiting or Galliez and Ratanavanh's Patience, Miyuki, but it is a good overview of a year's worth of celebrations. From Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day to Thanksgiving and Kwaanza, the little girl realizes that she is usually "just one more sleep" away from a variety of exciting holidays. Obviously, not ALL holidays are represented, but this is a good overview of different celebrations through the year.