FICTION

I'm Awake!

I'm Awake! illus. by Maxwell Eaton III. 32p. Knopf. May 2017. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780375845758.
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PreS—Hamster races up the stairs to his parents' bedroom, where he yells, "Dad!" to two sleeping hamsters. Wide awake, Hamster uses various tactics to try to rouse his father. The groggy father is alarmed when Hamster shares that he's made pancakes and says, "We're out of paper towels." The following full-page wordless spread shows a wrecked kitchen, strewn with paper towels. Testing the doorbell over and over and warning that there are cats downstairs, Hamster manages to wake his beleaguered father just enough for Dad to get the upper hand, and everyone resumes sleeping, just as the sun comes up. The book's amusing conclusion will resonate with sleep-deprived parents everywhere. The colorful illustrations are comic-style with speech bubbles, while varying perspectives and text size convey the enthusiasm of the young hamster.
VERDICT Preschoolers and parents alike will relate to this humorous story of an energetic little one trying to wake his sleepy father.

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