Perpetual Chaos of a Wandering Mind: Book Review: The Napping House

Author: Audrey Wood

Illustrator: Don Wood
Format: Hardcover, Paperback, Board Book, Audio Cassette

Pages: 32

Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (May 2009)

Category: Children's Picture Book

Style: Humorous

We chew through children's books out our house. A lot of books. We love them to death, which is fine by me. A worn-out dog-eared barely-holding-together board book means lots and lots of time being abused and dragged about the house by adoring toddlers. And, the adoration stems from generous dollops of time spent by grandmas and grandpas and mommies and daddies reading with little ones snugged in the crook of their arm, with their heads leaned against their shoulder.

As I said, we go through a lot of books in our house, and this is one of our favorites.

The Napping House written by Audrey Wood and delightfully illustrated by Don Wood is a wonderful cumulative rhyme (e.g., this is the house that Jack built) about a sleepy little house on a dozy, rainy day, a snoring granny, a slumbering child, a dog, a cat, a mouse, and a surprise at the end. The absorbing, humorous illustrations in quiet and cool colors set the mood and enrich the tale, providing lots of fodder for discussion, discovery, and imagination.

I picked up this large board book off a Sam's Club bargain table (a grandmother's best friend), drawn to it by . . . well, just about everything: the napping, the rain, the granny, and the androgenous any-child. Maybe it's the doziness of our too-quiet house, but it spoke to me. I could not resist taking it home. It also comes in hardcover, board book, and padded board book.

You will love the quiet laughter and gentle humor of this book. It's perfect murmured into tender ears at that certain time of the afternoon when eyelids grow heavy and yawns prevail over stubborn wills. It not only invites slumber but serves as a wonderful reminder that, inevitably, rain stops, naps end, and brilliant sunshine invites play once again.