The World Champion of Staying Awake    by Sean Taylor & Jimmy Liao Order:  USA  Can Candlewick, 2011 (2011) Hardcover     Reviewed by Bob Walch My name is Stella and I have a big problem. Whenever I want to go to bed my friends, Cherry Pig, Thunderbolt, a puppet mouse, and my Beanbag Frog, refuse to cooperate. All three of them declare that they are wide awake and not ready to settle down for a night's slumber. 'Stoppety-stop! It's time to go to bed,' I say. But I get a negative response from the three night-owls. Now I have to resort to some clever tricks to get them to settle down. First, I place the pig, puppet and frog on a big pillow and ask them if they can dream of something. Well, that works ok for Cherry Pig and she falls asleep, but the other two are still very wide awake. I tell them, 'It's time to shut your eyes.' That doesn't work, for Beanbag Frog replies in a bouncy voice, 'I've shut my eyes, but my feet are completely woken up!' Oh dear! So I come up with a new plan. I put frog and puppet in a shoe box and we pretend it is a train and I push them around the room. Eventually that works and puts Thunderbolt to sleep. But, of course, the frog is still hopping all over the room. He's convinced that he is the Champion of Staying Awake and he just might be right! What's my next plan? Well, it involves a basket and forces Frog to use his imagination. Does it work? You'll have to read my picture book to see what happens and if I ever get any sleep myself! If you have anyone in your house who is convinced he or she is the Champion of Staying Awake, you might want to get this book and read it to him or her. I'm sure that not only will you love the pictures and story but you'll also see what a little girl can accomplish if she uses a little imagination! Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews