Why Juan Can't Sleep

A Mystery?

Children - Grade K-3rd
34 Pages
Reviewed on 12/08/2012
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Jacqueline Ruiz for Readers' Favorite

This short tale is about Juan and why he can’t sleep. Everything disrupts his slumber: every little sound from noises under his bed to his sister getting a drink from the bathroom. The author, Beckstrand, intersperses poetry and alliteration within this story to elaborate on Juan’s long night. He also adds Spanish text here and there which, as a Spanish-speaker, I found to be a nice touch. The good thing about this book is that although Juan’s night drags on, the book does not. I think it is the perfect length to read to a child. The story grabs your attention with the mystery as to why Juan can’t sleep. A fun thing the author does is to request children to find certain images within the book. So you have a good read and a fun time! The illustrator, Sanz, does a great job of bringing each page and each thought to life. One of my favorite pages was the one with the witches and the stars in twilight. The dark colors and the white of the stars contrasted perfectly. Overall, Sanz complemented the story very well with his use of color and his artwork.

I think this is a great story to read to any child who can’t sleep at night. However, I must say, this story is not just for kids, but for adults as well. I remember times when every sound would keep me up at night. Counting didn’t help. My mind would race from one thought to another, just like Juan's. As a child, I thought I saw shadows and silhouettes in my room. As an adult, I would lay awake thinking about my workday or what I had planned for the next day. Eventually, sleep arrives . . . until you have to wake up the next day!