School Library Journal Review
PreS-A charming photo collection of a young boy and his puppy that depicts the joy of peaceful slumber. Preschoolers get an up-close-and-personal view of Theo and Beau as they sleep, dream, and toss and turn their way through hours of naptime. This lovable duo will have little ones captivated by the spread of realistic photographs and soothing text. The images were originally featured on Shyba's blog, "Momma's Gone City," and her author's note relays the story of Theo's adoption and afternoon routine of cuddling beside his new owner. Despite the cuteness overload, this treasure of a book will appeal to both toddlers and their adoring parents.-Claire Moore, Darien Library, CT (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Real life never offers opportunities to sing with birds perched on one's shoulder à la Snow White or have a talking bear for a mentor like Mowgli. But Shyba's photos of co-napping between her toddler son, Beau, and the family's mixed-breed rescue puppy, Theo, do a fine job of tapping into our primal fantasies of deep communion with animals. Shyba photographs the sleeping pair from a variety of loving, close-up angles, showing them back to back, in frontal embraces, and in several variations that involve Theo cuddled into some endearing crook formed by Beau's body (one photo has the puppy snuggled into the space between Beau's shoulder and neck). The book is based on Shyba's popular blog and Instagram feed and has zero literary pretensions: the text consists of brief, literal captions like "Cheek to cheek and bottom to bottom." Lover of cute dogs and cuter kids will find plenty to smile and sigh over in these ultra-sweet images. Ages 2-5. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Fast asleep with limp limbs intertwined, clear, close-up photos of Beau the toddler and Theo the rescue puppy chronicle their loving and peaceful shared naptimes. The text is more observation ("Sleeping on our backs. And on our bellies") than story, but this glimpse at the bond between human and pet will charm even the grumpiest among us. Beau's adoption story is appended. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Beau is a towheaded toddler who naps every day with his puppy, an attractive German shepherd-Shar-Pei mix. Shyba documented this touching friendship on her popular parenting blog with irresistible daily photographs of the pair enjoying their joint naps in a variety of intertwined positions, and her photos received wide media attention. She uses some of these photos to create a simple, accessible narrative of the canine-toddler friendship. The double-page spreads display a wide variety of clothing for the little boy and slumbering postures for both child and dog, all seeming very natural and nonposed. The photographs and extremely short text should appeal to a wide age group beyond preschoolers getting ready for their own naps, including babies, new readers and children with special needs. Endpapers show more views of the napping duo, and a poster with more photos (not seen) is also included with the book. An author's note explains how the family adopted Theo from a shelter and how the joint napping tradition evolved. Though the book is likely to be a flash in the marketing pan, it's an attractive one. (Picture book. 1-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
