Llama Llama Red Pajama

This was the first children’s ebook I ever purchased.  I bought it about two years ago when my daughter was begging me at bedtime for a Llama Llama book that she had at her preschool.  She promised me she would go to sleep if she could just read that book and at 9:30pm I will buy almost anything to get my child to sleep.

Author/Illustrator: Anna Dewdney
Publisher: Penguin Group USA (20005)
Prices: $9.99
Reading level: 2-5 Years 
Interest level: Moderate 
Physical Characteristics: 19.4 MB, 40 pages
Series: Llama Llama…
ISBN: 9780670059836  
Genres: ebook, Read-along
Subjects:
Mother and Child
Seperation anxiety
Stories in rhyme
Bedtime

Annotation: A young llama has a hard time going to bed after his mother leaves his room.

Summary: 

Mama llama tucks her baby llama into bed and leaves the room, Baby Llama becomes scared as soon as mama leaves his room and goes downstairs.  He starts to cry softly for his mama to come back.  This then graduates into a full blown tantrum when mama doesn't come right back.  The tantrum draws mama back up the stairs where she explains to baby llama, that she sometimes has things to do after he is asleep and he needs to be quiet and patient until she comes back to check on him.  They kiss goodnight and baby llama falls asleep. 

Evaluation:
I feel about the Llama Llama books as I do about Caillou on PBS, I think they are both too whiny.  There are ways to show children that their fears, confusions, anger and other feelings are real and valid without making the characters so whiny.  That being said, my daughter loves these books and loves having them read to her and reading them herself.  And, when I can put aside my dislike of llama, I can accept that this book has a good message.  The illustrations are not exceptional or new, but the details in each picture are interesting.  I find myself paying more attention to the brush strokes than the words.  A positive about this book is the way Ms. Dewdney captures what nighttime feels-like in her painting.  A big negative for me is that the publishers and author do not utilize the digital platform.  The Ipad version is really not any different from the read along with CD version, or the print version that I can read to my daughter.  I wish that they would have incorporated more interactive features.  While I don’t love this book or the series, I guess there are worse books I could be asked to read to my daughter.

Similar Titles or Authors:
All the other Llama Llama books in the collection
Just Me and My Mom by Mercer Mayer
No Nap! Yes Nap! by Margie Palatini

Websites:
http://www.llamallamabook.com/

http://www.annadewdney.com/Annas_website/Home.html

Awards & Recognition:

Jumpstart’s Read for the Record book in 2011

New York Times #1

Scholastic Parent and Child “100 Greatest Books for Kids”

Professional Reviews:
School Library Journal

Kirkus

All images © Anna Dewdney