The King Who Wouldn't Sleep

"In this clever retelling of a common story, a king is determined to find the perfect prince for his lovely daughter. So obsessed is the king that he vows to keep watch over the princess day and night--never sleeping--until he locates this perfect prince. Many princes seek the king's favor, but he turns them all away, finding a fatal flaw in each. Undeterred, the princes try all manner of tricks and techniques to send the king off to dreamland, hoping for a chance to court the princess directly. The king proves impossible to fool, however, until a crafty farm boy enters the scene. He ultimately cons the king into counting 100 sheep, and, finally, the king is out like a light. He wakes to find the princess happy with the farmer, and a lavish wedding follows. Swain's dynamic and appealing watercolor-and-color-pencil illustrations add charm, whimsy and amusing details to the happily-ever-after tale. For all the fun, though, there is also a bit of creepiness here--what with the father determined to watch his daughter every moment of the day until he marries her off and the princess sorely lacking a sense of agency. For pluckier princesses, try Cornelia Funke and Kerstin Meyer's Princess Pigsty (2007) and Mary Jane and Herman Auch's The Princess and the Pizza (2008)." --Kirkus Reviews

"It's a treat to come across an original fairy tale that generates surprise not by irony or irreverence, but through sheer narrative ingenuity. Debut author Singleton does just that--her clever story wouldn't be out of place in a Grimm's collection. The eponymous king is an insomniac by choice: he 'loved his only daughter so much that he had resolved to watch over her every day and every night, until he could find her the perfect prince.' Determined to get some face-time alone with the princess, suitors try to lull or even drug the king to sleep. But in the classic tradition, it takes a humble but quick-thinking young farmer to set in motion an elaborate con that results in the king having to count sheep. 'And they slept peacefully ever after.' Swain's (The Perfect Baby) innocuous cartooning puts a bit of a damper on Singleton's brisk prose and inventiveness. While there's plenty of variety in the compositions, the characterizations are flat: the princess is a cipher, and the farmer exudes only the barest hint of slyness." --Publishers Weekly

"The king loves his beautiful daughter very much, and he resolves to watch over her day and night until he finds a suitable husband for her. He interviews many crowned heads, to no avail. The princes realize that if they could make the king fall asleep, they could talk to the princess. They try everything, but he is on to them. Then a clever, persistent farmer arrives and finally tricks the king into counting sheep. The farmer and princess marry and everyone sleeps peacefully ever after. The humorous watercolor and pencil cartoon illustrations are large and bright, and feature expressive, goggle-eyed characters. While the plot, resembling many folktales, has been done before, the way the farmer tricks the king is original, and children will enjoy it." --School Library Journal

"Singleton's humorous story elegantly combines a fractured fairy tale with counting and weekday timekeeping. The titular king is so concerned about finding the best husband for his daughter that he gets no rest while sending away imperfect suitor after imperfect suitor. A local farmer, however, finds just the right way to trick him into napping in an elaborate ruse involving days of the week, intentionally garbled math, and the counting of 100 sheep. With the king asleep, the farmer has the opportunity to court the princess, who was 'perfectly' happy to have him as a suitor. Swain's large, watercolor cartoons both illustrate and expand the multiracial--and multispecies--cast of the story, giving young audiences lots of opportunity to compare the various tall, short, fat, and thin suitors. The upbeat narration matches the art in mood, and the giggling princess suggests that she sees the joke coming maybe even before first-time readers." --Booklist

"The princess sleeps in a silver bed. The queen sleeps in a golden bed. But the king doesn't sleep at all, because he's determined to watch over the princess until he finds the perfect prince for her to marry. A comical procession of princes comes to be interviewed, each with a way to lull the king into sleep so they can speak directly to the princess, each unsuccessfully. It's a farmer with a week's worth of (purportedly) miscounted animals who finally succeeds when the king impatiently announces that he will count the one hundred sheep himself. Singleton uses a traditional fairy tale structure in an altogether new and funny story, great for reading to groups, who will early spot the green-suited farmer watching from a distance before he makes his first trip in with a wiggling bag of animals. Bright, simple watercolor and colored pencil illustrations use shadows to add interest, and a closer look at the pictures rewards the viewer with entertaining details. This clever picture book would make a fine storytime pair with 'The Princess and the Pea.' " --The Horn Book Magazine

"Determined to find the perfect prince for his daughter, a king never sleeps. A comical procession of princes is interviewed; each unsuccessfully tries to lull the king into sleep so he can speak directly to the princess. A farmer and his miscounted sheep finally succeed. This new and funny story uses traditional fairy-tale structure. The bright, simple illustrations reward a closer look." --The Horn Book Guide