The Napping House by Audrey Wood

The Napping House Reviews

• 
  Calista

  I thought this book was so cozy, cute and funny, simple and adorable.
  
  We see a house asleep at night. The bed starts out with grandma snoring and then the grandchild gets on top of her and the dog on top of him and the cat on top of the dog and finally the mouse tops it all off. A flea bits the mouse and each page shows them waking up.
  
  Like I said, simple, but simply marvelous. I would like to own this for the sheer joy of it. Sheer joy.
  
  The nephew loved this story. He thought them sleeping on each other in a pile and each page they were in a different position was the best. When they were getting up, that tickled him. He gave this 4 stars. Bravo.
• 
  Dave Schaafsma

  Well, since for some reason several people are being nice enough to like my non-review, I'll just say there are probably several core books in any house that are read in the "formative" years when you are trying to figure out how to make the little urchins happy and/or get them to sleep, books you wear out, ripped and torn and ragged, spattered with baby food and milk and vomit, books that are indistinguishable from your parenting years and this is one of mine, one I look back with a kind of sweet longing, in spite of the fact there might at the time been partly desperation: "will he for the love of god not sleep?" But this is funny, silly, one of those where each occupant of a house piles on to the sleeping Gramma until the bed breaks (see James Thurber's "The Night the Bed Fell,") and all Holy Heck (children are involved here, now) breaks loose. No napping, henceforth, but certain smiles ensue.
  
  I stop to ask my three teenagers, playing Monopoly as I write this during the deepening Coronavirus crisis, and ask them, "You remember The Napping House?!" and they cry out "Yes, I remember when the cat jumps on and screeches!" "Everything is all peaceful and a cat goes to sleep on a dog and then a mouse. . ." "The gnat bites the mouse that wakes the cat that wakes the dog and so suddenly no one is napping!"
  
  You know, it's a pretty good life after all. Or can be!
• 
  Linda

  I love this children's short story.
  
  I love the little boy. The dog. The granny. The cat. The mouse. And I even like the flea.
  
  I love the words.
  
  And I especially love the awesome pictures.
  
• 
  Jasmine from How Useful It Is

  Read for my toddler’s nap time. A cute story about a house full of sleeping people and animals. I think I have read this book before.. love the humor.
  
  Read from kindle unlimited.
• 
  Ronyell

  “The Napping House” is one of Audrey Wood’s and Don Wood’s earlier children’s books and is probably one of their most peaceful books ever written. “The Napping House” was extremely popular back in the 80s for its numerous awards that it won which includes: the 1984 New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book, the 1984 Golden Kite Award from Society of Children’s Book Writers and the 1984 American Library Association Notable Book for Children.
  
  Audrey Wood’s lyrical writing is at its best as she narrates how all the family members are sleeping in the house only to be awakened by a wakeful flea. Don Wood’s illustrations are colorful and beautiful beyond all reason, especially when he draws the rain shower at the beginning of the book and he makes the sky look gray, which is extremely effective on the realism of this story as the characters look like real people. Another advantage to Don Wood’s illustrations is that his illustrations are humorous especially of the scenes where each family member bump into each other and their eyes popped out of their heads as they are surprised at being awakened by each other.
  
  “The Napping House” is truly a masterpiece and because of Audrey Wood’s creative verses and Don Wood’s beautiful illustrations, this book is surely to capture the hearts of many young children. I recommend this book to children ages three and up since it is simple to read and the situation is extremely simple to understand.
  
  Review is also on:
  Rabbit Ears Book Blog
  
• 
  Linda

  This is a book that has been one that is picked over and over...giggles and twinkling eyes bubble up to become laughter that tumbles out time after time. Hugs follow...and memories are made. Priceless.
• 
  Michele

  Well, this book grew on me. Probably because my daughter insists on reading it every damn night. Initially to me it just read like the "There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea" song, listing one thing after the other after the other.
  
  BUT, this book is actually amazing and here are the reasons:
  
  1. All the synonyms for "sleeping". There's a snoring granny, a dreaming child, a dozing dog and snoozing cat in the napping house. Yeah, I listed those from memory. Like I said, Every. Damn. Night.
  Maybe she doesn't care about the words right now, but I love the idea of building her vocabulary and I hope that as she grows she will understand that for every thing she wants to say, there are many many ways of saying it.
  
  2. All the synonyms give the text a lyrical quality which is fun to read out loud. Every. Damn. Night.
  
  3. There's so much happening in the illustrations. The text is talking about the granny, but you can see the child is starting to wake up and then the next page he's made his way to granny's bed while the dog is stretching to join them on the next page. It's a nice progression. I need to figure out if the flea is in all the pictures or if it just makes an appearance when the mouse moseys over to sleep on the cat. I'll check on that tonight.*
  
  4. My daughter loves reading it. Every. Damn. Night.
  
  *yep, the wakeful flea is in every picture making it's way to the cozy bed in the napping house where everyone is sleeping. It's fun to find.
• 
  Rossy

  Adorable and funny! The illustrations are superb and there is repetition, cumulative sentences, causes and effect, perfect! :)
• 
  Kate Hackett

  Best 12 bucks
  
  I bought this. For no real actual reason. 12 bucks on kindle. Worth it. Kinda. Why does this need more words.
• 
  Adina Cappell

  This is an Anglo-Saxon version of sorts of the old Passover song,
  Chad Gadya. In the Heeb version, God destroys the angel of death, who killed the butcher, who slaughtered the ox, who drank the water, that extinguished the fire, that burned the stick, that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the goat. In "The Napping House," the wakeful flee bites the mouse, who scares the cat, who claws the dog, who thumps the child, who bumps the granny who breaks the bed. The latter is joyously embraced as an opportunity to celebrate the "glorious day," watch the rainbow, and play outside. In the Jewish version, we get constantly reminded that the dead goat cost our father 2 goddamn hard-earned zuzim. In the Anglo version, everyone naps first, and then wake up to run and play, while the Jews conclude our endless seder with Chad Gadya, thus saving the nap as best for last.
• 
  Kathryn

  Cute and humorous! :-) I loved this sort of tale when I was a kid--one thing building upon another. It's so funny!
• 
  Christina/ The Blog for Teachers, Readers, & Life!

  I love the comic illustrations and the hilariously funny story! :) This is my favorite children's book! :) I read it every year at least once.
• 
  Lisa RV

  One of my favorite childrens' books
• 
  André Caniato

  Minha mãe chegou com A casa sonolenta da biblioteca pro meu irmão. Uma fofura! Depois, lembrei que eu também já li esse quando criança.
• 
  Spencer

  2021
  A cute bedtime story for kids. Although it has a definite ring to the house that Jack built, it also reminded me of There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.
• 
  Abigail

  This delightful cumulative tale from Audrey and Don Wood - a married couple and author/illustrator team whose many picture-book projects together have included
  Quick as a Cricket,
  Heckedy Peg, and the Caldecott Honor book
  King Bidgood's in the Bathtub - opens quietly, with an aerial view of a house standing peacefully in the rain: a house where everyone is sleeping. Zooming in on an upstairs bedroom, it shows Granny, grandchild, family dog, and pet cat all contently snoozing, until a little flea sets off a chain reaction, waking everyone up!
  
  The Napping House is another one of those classic picture-books, more numerous than I'd like them to be, that I somehow missed in childhood, and have been meaning to pick up ever since. My online friends mostly seem to love it, and it's not difficult to see why! The cumulative narrative, and engaging oil illustrations will draw young readers in, and keep them involved. As for the adults, I can't speak for anyone else, but as someone who thinks longingly of sleep (of which I never seem to get enough), and considers a daytime nap the epitome of decadent indulgence, any book which celebrates this activity is a-okay with me!
• 
  Mihaela Precup

  My son (5 and a half) loves this book so much that he insisted we go on here and award it 5 stars. He says he likes it because it was built around a very funny chain reaction.
• 
  Lisa Vegan

  This is a wonderful book! (I’m so glad I returned the board book the library first gave me and borrowed & instead read this hardcover edition.)
  
  This is a really fun cumulative tale that is very amusing, and the illustrations are superb, really special.
  
  I love the cozy bed, the snoring granny, the dreaming child, the dozing dog, the snoozing cat, the slumbering mouse, and even the wakeful flea, and the daytime nap and what ends the nap.
  
  This is highly enjoyable story to read aloud. Over and over.
  
  This is a nearly perfect book. The Woods team creates amazing books!
  
• 
  Cathy

  One of the books most loved by my children when they were little. I love it too. The artwork tells the story even without the words, but of course the words make a beautiful poem, and it is a great book for predictions! The grandma's (mimaw's) face when she bounces is priceless. I am Mimaw -- that is what my 2 baby grandsons call me. Well one of them. The other doesn't talk yet.
• 
  Zac Brodrick

  Next to "The Going to Bed Book", this is my favorite children's book that I read to Noah every chance I get. Even though I read it to him when I am putting him down for a nap, it talks about a house full of napping people waking up... maybe that is why he only takes 40 minutes naps!!! Oh well, still a great book with great pictures!
• 
  Mel

  My 3 y/o daughter loved this book so much, that not only did I have to read it over and over, but we had to "take turns" doing it. With the repetition of the words and wonderful pictures illustrated throughout, she was able to capture the story by memorization and tell me it in her own words. Too cute...and highly recommended!
• 
  Luz Herrera

  I thought this book was good I understand that its for beginning readers so theres lots of repetition in it. Im sure the younger kids would enjoy reading it because they would comprehend it.I would probably read it to my class and see what message they get out of it,if they even find one. Recommended to younger crowds(kindergarden etc..)
• 
  Jackie "the Librarian"

  I love the snoring granny! And I love the slow build up to the wakeful flea, and the expressions on faces of the cat and the dog upon being landed on. Poor dog, he really gets clawed! A perfect storytime book.
• 
  Megan B

  This is a major family favorite. My daughter's role is to always say "where everyone is sleeping". The illustration is gorgeous and the repetition is really fun and recitable for even the youngest ones.
• 
  Krista

  One of the cutest kids books ever. If you have kids, you need this book. My kindergarteners LOVED this book. I've probably read this book to kids 1000 times. It is really cute though!
• 
  Liz

  Cute.
• 
  Shiloah

  Cute!
• 
  Kris

  Young children’s book with lovely illustrations — just the opposite of Goodnight Moon (in that it’s waking up!). Deserves to be on any child’s shelf.
• 
  Ivonne Rovira

  The wife-and-husband team of Audrey and Don Wood have created a charming story that will provoke giggles from readers of all ages. Writer Audrey pens a sweet story of the residents asleep in the eponymous napping house, while illustrator Don includes meticulous details in his dreamy, pastel pictures, such as the sleepy-eyed windows on the napping house. The ending will surprise the youngsters while the savvy old hands will anticipate the fun. Highly recommended.