The World Champion of Staying Awake

When Stella's toy animals refuse to go to sleep, she comes up with a clever plan using her keen imagination. It's time for Stella to go to bed. But how can she sleep when Cherry Pig, Thunderbolt the puppet mouse, and Beanbag Frog are wide awake? "I'm the world champion of staying awake!" shouts Cherry Pig, bouncing on the bed. Luckily Stella is good at thinking up ways to get her toys to sleep - by taking them on a sailing Pillow Ship, a shoebox Midnight Train, and a toy-basket Starship Balloon. With luminous illustrations and an utterly charming text ("I've shut my eyes, but my feet are completely woken-up . . . "), this ode to a child's imagination and boundless spirit is certain to be a winning choice at bedtime.

Sean Taylor is an author, storyteller, and teacher who has written more than twenty books for young children. He lives in Bristol, England.

Jimmy Liao is a best-selling, award-winning Taiwanese author-illustrator whose first book with Candlewick was The Monster Who Ate Darkness by Joyce Dunbar.