I’m not Sleepy!

Endpapers depicting Baby Owl in various stages of sleepiness introduce us to another story about Allen’s young protagonist. This time Baby Owl is refusing to agree that he is at all sleepy: he’ll admit to being bored, to thinking, to just stretching his wings, but never to wanting to go to sleep. And, of course, this makes him rather grumpy. Most of the words are confined to short dialogues between Baby Owl and various characters who try to convince him that sleep is what he wants. But it is Allen’s visual characterisation that makes I’m not Sleepy! stand out from other bedtime books for very young children. Baby Owl is satisfactorily round, his feathers suggested by light shading, in contrast to the other characters who are defined by black lines. Expression is suggested by his yellow beak, and two ovals for eyes – sometimes they are just two semicircles as shut-eyed he nods off on his branch. A lovely book to enjoy at bedtime.