Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber

Ira loves his teddy bear and he sleeps with his bear every night but now he has the dilemma of a sleepover invitation. Reggie lives next door and Reggie has made big plans for their evening but Ira's sister is the voice of doom. She tells Ira that Reggie won't approve of his bear and even worse Reggie is sure to tease or mock little Ira if he takes his precious bear to the sleep over. Luckily two things happen - mum and dad totally disagree and they tell Ira he should take his bear and then as Reggie and Ira finally snuggle down to sleep Reggie jumps up and retrieves his own teddy bear - so now little Ira has the courage or permission to jump back over the fence and grab his bear Tah Tah.

Bookseller blurb: Ira is thrilled about his first sleepover at his friend Reggie's house, until his sister makes him question taking his favorite teddy bear. Will Reggie laugh at his teddy bear? Can Ira sleep without it? A funny back-and-forth ensues in this classic picture book about staying true to yourself. A perfect read-aloud for every young reader with their own bedtime friends.

I am helping my friend sort some things in her school library. Many years ago, she set up some boxes of books to support a student welfare program. The staff no longer use this program, so we have disbanded the book boxes. Among the titles I saw this US title When Ira Sleeps Over (1972).

Listen to the podcast with Betsy Bird where they discuss this book. There certainly are some funny details in the illustrations such as the old-fashioned standard lamp; dad playing the double bass; music stands; curtain room dividers; the paintings on their walls; and dad is cooking dinner - this is the 1970s so that makes this even more curious. You might also notice the real bottle tops and the curious stamps owned by dad that the kids enjoy using in their game. Dad is clearly a classical musician - we see his double bass and at the end of the book when he opens the door for Ira we see dad holding a classical music record album. 

Even though this book is now quite old I think it is one I could share with a young child - not a group - just your own young reading companion. Bernard Waber (1921-2013) is famous for his books about Lyle Lyle the crocodile. I previously talked about his book Ask Me. You can see more of his books here. The book and CD version of this book Ira Sleeps Over is still available. 

The sequel was published in 1988. 

Here are some discussion questions

Here is my old teddy bear:

Companion book:

You could also look for this very old Australian book:

Henrietta and the perfect night by Martine Murray

This is the fourth book about Henrietta and it does not disappoint.  Inside Henrietta and the Perfect Night there are five interlinked stories beginning with The Waiting Game - waiting for the new baby to arrive and ending with The Arrival!

"Hello, I'm Henrietta the Great Go-Getter. I'm also a Big Thinker. And right now I'm thinking about my mum getting fat."

Henrietta goes to school for the first time, she makes a new friend, participates in the school play and survives her first sleep over.

There are perfect little illustrations scattered throughout this book and Martine Murray uses different fonts to express the meaning of words.  You can see this idea in the Geronimo Stilton books.

Other series to look for :

• Judy Moody
• Violet Mackrel
• Clementine
• Daisy Dawson
• Anna Hibiscus
• Billie B Brown

Rabbit and Robot the sleepover by Cece Bell

This is one of those special little books - very simple to read - but also very satisfying.  Rabbit and Robot The sleepover should go on your list of books to share with a young child who is just beginning to master reading. If you love Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel you will certainly want to meet these new friends.  They are an odd couple but tonight everyone (the reader and characters) will discover the value of a true friend.

Rabbit and Robot are very different.  Rabbit likes pizza, playing Go Fish and watching television. Robot likes nuts and bolts on his pizza and prefers to play Old Maid.

Rabbit has made a list for the sleepover.  His list is very prescriptive but Rabbit will need to learn some tough lessons about compromise.  In four little episodes the two friends DO find a way to enjoy their first sleepover but the way the evening pans out may surprise you just as it surprises Rabbit.

This book was a worthy honor book in the Theodor Seuss Geisel awards. You can read a little more about this book here. Or you might like to click the quotes below.

There’s a lot of humor and heart in these four stories.

Go into most libraries and you’ll find that easy books and early chapter books are some of the most popular in the system. All the more reason to let something like Rabbit & Robot into your life. It’s new and fresh and thoroughly enjoyable, whether you’re reading it to a kid or they’re parsing it on their own. There’s a new odd couple in town and hopefully they’ll return to us again soon.