Book Review: Claude Clément’s Go to Sleep, Little Groundhog

Posted January 2, 2016 by Kathy Davie in Book Reviews, Children's

I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Source: the library
Book Review: Claude Clément’s Go to Sleep, Little Groundhog

Go to Sleep, Little Groundhog


by

Claude Clément


It is part of the Little Animal Adventure series and is a picture book in Hardcover edition that was published by Reader's Digest Kids on March 1993 and has 20 pages.

Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon


Part of the Little Animal Adventure picture book series for young readers and revolving around a young groundhog.

My Take

The colored pencil illustrations are soft and sweet with the detail focused on the actual characters.

The story itself is cute with Little Groundhog’s parents doing everything they can to get him to fall asleep — I know parents will relate to a child who simply won’t fall asleep!

I do wish that Clément had provided more of a storyline, as it feels too thin. That could just be me, however!

An assortment of animals show up at the Groundhogs’ door trying to help, and the emphasis is primarily on the tricks. I didn’t get the impression that Clément was “teaching” the kids about nature, although there is a series of pictures in a two-page spread at the end with facts about groundhogs.

Like the images, Go to Sleep, Little Groundhog is a sweet and simple story.

The Story

An active little groundhog refuses to go to sleep, despite the advice of several animal visitors, until finally the cricket tries something that works.

The Characters

Little Groundhog wants to play. Mama and Papa Groundhog want to hibernate. Goat is a friend. Ermine, lizard, rabbit, and cricket come to help.

The Cover and Title

The cover is actually more detailed than the inside pictures with the snowy landscape of mountains and valleys, gently falling snow, and some tracks in the snow near the upright figure of a cute little groundhog. The title is in an orange-red with the series info in a narrow banner across the top.

The title is the purpose of the story, as his parents want to Go to Sleep, Little Groundhog.