Lauren Castillo | The Children’s Book Review | March 29, 2016
Lauren Castillo’s Selfie with Twenty Yawns
This photo was taken in my home studio in Harrisburg, PA. (I tried to get the whole book in there, but I am not so good with the selfies . . . a selfie stick may have been helpful in this case). Behind me you’ll notice part of a laundry line which wraps around all of my studio walls. I use it to hang art to dry, and also to display prints or posters from friends. On display right now is a copy of the poster that advertises my newest book, Twenty Yawns.
Twenty Yawns is a picture book written by the wonderful Jane Smiley, and illustrated by me. It is about a girl named Lucy and her parents who spend a very long day at the beach. They come home, and everyone is exhausted except for Lucy who can’t fall asleep. So she goes and collects her stuffed animals and brings them to bed. Now, surrounded by her dear friends, she is able to peacefully drift off to sleep. I hope the book will be a comfort to many little readers.
These shelves in my studio hold about half of my picture book collection. The books are alphabetized by illustrator—a little trick I picked up from Books of Wonder, one of my favorite independent bookshops.
On the top of the bookcase is a small part of my growing hedgehog collection (thanks to a few kind friends), a beautiful print by the one and only Sophie Blackall, a limoncello bottle I saved from a summer spent in Sorrento, Italy, and a chunky wooden elephant puzzle from my childhood. (And did you spy that Twenty Yawns door hanger in the background??)
Written by Jane Smiley
Illustrated by Lauren Castillo
Publisher’s Synopsis: From Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley and Caldecott Honor artist Lauren Castillo.
As her mom reads a bedtime story, Lucy drifts off. But later, she awakens in a dark, still room, and everything looks mysterious. How will she ever get back to sleep?
Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley’s first picture book, illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist Lauren Castillo, evokes the splashy fun of the beach and the quietude of a moonlit night, with twenty yawns sprinkled in for children to discover and count.
Ages 3-7 | Publisher: Two Lions | April 1, 2016 | ISBN-13: 978-1477826355
Add this book to your collection: Twenty Yawns
Available Here:
Praise for Twenty Yawns
★“[The] perfect bedtime story for the end of a busy day.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★“A sweet soporific.”—School Library Journal, starred review
★ “There’s so much right about this picture book, Pulitzer Prize– winning (for A Thousand Acres) Smiley’s first… And the twenty yawns (yes, you can count them) are pure genius.”—The Horn Book Magazine, starred review
Book Trailer for Twenty Yawns
Activity Kit for Twenty Yawns
Twenty Yawns Activity Kit by sarahshealy
About Lauren Castillo
The Twenty Yawns Blog Tour
Thurs, Mar 17 Watch.Connect.Read
Fri, Mar 18 Sharpread
Mon, Mar 21 Children’s Book Review
Tues, Mar 22 Kid Lit Frenzy
Wed, Mar 23 Cracking the Cover
Thurs, Mar 24 Unleashing Readers
Fri, Mar 25 5 Minutes for Books
Sat, Mar 26 Booking Mama
Mon, Mar 28 A Rup Life
Tues, Mar 29 Children’s Book Review
Wed, Mar 30 Once Upon a Story
Thurs, Mar 31 NC Teacher Stuff
Fri, April 1 A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust
Mon, Apr 4 Where Imagination Grows
Wed, Apr 6 Teach Mentor Texts
Tues, Apr 12 Jean Little Library
Discover more books like Twenty Yawns, written by Jane Smiley and illustrated by Lauren Castillo, by checking out our reviews and articles tagged with Bedtime Stories, Jane Smiley, Lauren Castillo, and Yawning; and be sure to follow along with our Selfie and a Shelfie series.