Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Ira Sleeps Over by: Bernard Waber




















Ages: 4-8

Ira is thrilled to be invited over to his friend Reggie’s house for his very first sleepover. Reggie has all sorts of fun activities planned. However, Ira has a dilemma. It began when his sister asked if he was going to take his teddy bear. Ira has never slept without his teddy bear named Tah Tah. What would Reggie think if he knew that Ira slept with a teddy bear? His family gives him advice. His mother and father tell him to take his teddy bear, but his sister tells him not to take his teddy bear. The night of the sleepover, Ira goes next door to Reggie’s house without his teddy bear. Will Ira be able to sleep without Tah Tah? Find out in Ira Sleeps Over.

Ira Sleeps Over is a great book that will appeal to children and parents alike. It is an excellent book to read to a child going on his/her first sleepover. Sleeping over at a friend’s house for the first time is a major milestone in childhood that is often marked by a little anxiety. This book captures that anxiety with a lot of humor and real family interactions, such as supporting parents and a nagging older sister. I like the fact that this book is about boys having a sleepover. Sleepovers are often depicted with girls, and this book shows that it is acceptable for boys to have sleepovers too. The text and illustrations are simple and flow together well. The words are pretty easy words to read. Some pages have several words, while others only have a few. The illustrations are large, and only use the colors red, yellow, green, white, grey, and black. The pictures are not very detailed, but Ira’s emotions are depicted well. This book can lead to discussions about peer pressure and fears about being different. Lessons about overcoming fear and being yourself are seen in this book. I would recommend Ira Sleeps Over to any child.

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