Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book
Lou Jacobs, Jr. (Author photograph). Theodor Seus New York: Random House, 1962. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. Unpaginated. Illustrations (color). DJ in plastic sleeve is worn, torn, soiled and chipped. The DJ has 295/295 price to front flap and the back dust jacket with two boxes of Dr. Seuss books. Top box with sixteen large-format books, listed in two columns. The left column begins with Yertle and ends with 500 Hats; right column begins with Oobleck and ends with Mulberry Street. The lower box lists the four small-format Beginner Books, beginning with Cat In The Hat and ending with Green Eggs And Ham. No listing for Sleep Book on back dust jacket. This is as called for in the Younger & Hirsch bibliography. Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904 –1991) was an American children's author, cartoonist, illustrator, poet, animator, and filmmaker. He is known for writing and illustrating more than 60 books under the pen name Dr. Seuss. His work includes many of the most popular children's books of all time, selling over 600 million copies and being translated into more than 20 languages. He began his career as an illustrator and cartoonist for Vanity Fair, Life, and other publications. He worked as an illustrator for advertising campaigns, most notably for Standard Oil, and as a political cartoonist for the New York newspaper PM. He published his first children's book And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street in 1937. During WWII, he illustrated political cartoons, and he worked in the animation and film department of the Army where he wrote, produced or animated many productions including Design for Death, which won the 1947 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book, commonly referred to as The Sleep Book, is a children's book written by Dr. Seuss in 1962. The story centers on the activity of sleep as readers follow the journey of many different characters preparing to slip into a deep slumber. This book documents the different sleeping activities that some of the creatures join in on: Jo and Mo Redd-Joff participate in competitive sleep talking and a group “near Finnigan Fen” enjoys group sleepwalking. It opens with a small bug, named Van Vleck, yawning. This single yawn sets off a chain reaction, effectively putting “ninety-nine zillion nine trillion and two” creatures to sleep. The book is written in the style of a reporter on the news who is reporting on the number of sleepers in the world. The book starts with a "very small bug" named Van Vleck yawning. The narrator then tells the reader that this is very important news and goes on to explain that a yawn is contagious and will cause sleep across the countryside. The narrator then takes us around the world to various locations where people are going to sleep, such as Herk-Heimer Falls, the Castle of Krupp, and the towns of Culppeper Springs and Mercedd. Various silly groups of people go to sleep together, such as a "Hinkle Horn Honking Club." Various creatures go to sleep too, such as a Collapsible Frink and the Chippendale Mupp. The narrator explains that they count the number of people and creatures asleep using an "Audio Telly O-Tally O-Count" which spies on people to know when they went to bed. The narrator then explores the latest news in the sports of sleeptalking and sleepwalking before returning to the previous standard of discussing various locations (such as the Zwieback Motel and the District of Dofft) and creatures (such as the Foona Lagoona Baboona and a Jedd). Then the book explains that "Ninety Nine Zillion, Nine Trillion and Two" creatures are asleep and then asks "What about you?" The final line of the book is a "Good night," which is unmetered. Dr. Seuss uses his standard red yellow and turquoise colors, only deviating from this pattern to add hints of purple and one orange Moose Juice alongside a green Goose Juice. The Sleep Book sets a good example for young kids on the proper hygiene methods used before bedtime such as brushing their teeth, putting their things away, and making sure their alarm is set for the morning. It has also popularly been used in Pre-K through Grade 1 to help kids with the pronunciation of their “sl” sounds. Throughout this story, Dr. Seuss introduces his young audience to a number of sleep related habits and activities: dreaming, sleep talking, sleep walking, yawing, and snoring. The book specifically indicates that it must be “read in bed” because of its ability to put kids to sleep. Parents have praised Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book for its soothing rhythmic element that helps their children fall asleep. This children’s book is said to be a top choice for parents to read to their kids at night due to its soothing rhythm and “timeless story”. Condition: Good / Fair.
Keywords: Sleep, Yawning, Snoring, Sleep Talking, Sleep Walking, Bedtime, Routines, Brushing Teeth, Cleaning up, Alarm Clock, Rhymes, News Reporting, Lou Jacobs
[Book #81899]
Price: $275.00