Title: Don’t Turn the Page!
Author: Rachelle Burk
Illustrator: Julie Downing
Publisher: Creston Books
Reviewer: Yolanda Ridge
ISBN: 987-1-939547-06-4
I have to admit, when I first saw the title of this book, I expected a funny adaptation of:
Mo Willems’ “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!” or
Mélanie Watt’s “Have I Got a Book for You!” or
Michaela Muntean’s Do Not Open This Book!
But the similarity to these titles ends with the exclamation mark.
Instead, Don’t Turn the Page! is a cozy book within a book that belongs on the bedside of every toddler. Starting with the beautiful cover, this book encourages parents and kids to snuggle up together and get ready for bed. But like most toddlers, Sami the porcupine doesn’t want to go to bed because she is not tired. Gently and patiently, Mama plays along – getting Sami to read a book about a sleepy cub as he goes through his own bedtime routine. And before Mama can turn the page, Sami’s putting on her pyjamas, brushing her teeth, and cuddled into bed.
With beautiful illustrations and a rhythmic narrative that gradually slows as the story progresses, Don’t Turn the Page! will not get kids excited like the pigeon- but it will put them to sleep. Exactly the outcome every parent wants at the end of a busy day.