The King Who Wouldn't Sleep

Determined to find the perfect prince for his daughter, a king never sleeps. A comical procession of princes is interviewed; each unsuccessfully tries to lull the king into sleep so he can speak directly to the princess. A farmer and his miscounted sheep finally succeed. This new and funny story uses a traditional fairy-tale structure. The bright, simple illustrations reward a closer look.

The princess sleeps in a silver bed. The queen sleeps in a golden bed. But the king doesn't sleep at all, because he's determined to watch over the princess until he finds the perfect prince for her to marry. A comical procession of princes comes to be interviewed, each with a way to lull the king into sleep so they can speak directly to the princess, each unsuccessfully. It's a farmer with a week's worth of (purportedly) miscounted animals who finally succeeds when the king impatiently announces that he will count the one hundred sheep himself. Singleton uses a traditional fairy tale structure in an altogether new and funny story, great for reading to groups, who will early spot the green-suited farmer watching from a distance before he makes his first trip in with a wiggling bag of animals. Bright, simple watercolor and colored pencil illustrations use shadows to add interest, and a closer look at the pictures rewards the viewer with entertaining details. This clever picture book would make a fine storytime pair with "The Princess and the Pea." susan dove lempke