I Cannot Sleep
Ann Louise Ramsey
Hardcover
(Crown Peak Publishing, Feb. 24, 2013)
Written and illustrated by Ann Louise Ramsey, I Cannot Sleep is a children's picture book celebrating the joy of life's simple pleasures as seen through the heart of a dog. BOOK DESCRIPTION: It's time for bed, but Honey the Cocker Spaniel cannot sleep. Her imagination is just waking up and so begins her fun-filled adventures of doing all those favorite things she loves to do. "I fly . . . I dance . . . I swim . . . I sing and find success in all these things!" proclaims Honey . . . "while lying here secure in bed" she adds, laughing out loud. Honey is a small dog with BIG imagination and the more she thinks, the more she does and . . . "FUN is the goal!" Laugh along with Honey as she bounces down "trail and hall, all for the love of a tennis ball" and sings "for free" along with the birds in the park. For this happy dog, it is the simple pleasures in life that give her joy a great reminder for us all. The book begins with Honey's Recipe for Joy which sets the stage for this delightful story by highlighting Honey's love for playing in the park and emphasizing her motto that "joy is a state of mind.". Honey's Recipe for Joy video can be seen on be found on Ann Louise Ramsey s YouTube channel, along with many other charming Honey videos. An added bonus is the variety of birds that Ramsey has incorporated into the book's illustrations. Then at the back of the book there is a pictorial list of Birds in the Book which serves as an educational and fun way to introduce children to the world of birds by matching up the bird pictures with those in the story.
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