PPBF: Ira Sleeps Over

Author/Illustrator: Bernard Waber
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, 1972, reissue 2000
Ages: 4-7yrs
Themes: teddy bears, sleepovers, family, humiliation
Opening: I was invited to sleep at Regges’s house. Was I happy! I had never slept at a friend’s house before.
Summary: (from my library catalog) A little boy is excited at the prospect of spending the night at his friend’s house but worries how he’ll get along without his teddy bear.

I like this book because: I am transported not to the memory of a book I probably read as a 6yr old, but to my life as a 6yr old and the exhilarating anticipation of having been invited to sleep over a friend’s house. The illustrations enliven the memories and emotions, even the rustling breeze and dappling light through the deciduous trees surrounding our Levitt homes. Sigh.

Resources/activities: teacher’s guide -click HERE; invite students to bring in a favorite stuffed animal/toy for a group nap in the classroom.

PPBF is still on summer break, but for existing PPBF selections, including resources and activities, go to Susanna Hill’s blog: HERE