Illustrated by Will Hughes.

Published by Little Door Books, 2021.

Uncle Pete and the Boy who Couldn’t Sleep is a fantastical adventure which will delight young readers. Harry has never once been to sleep in his life. Doctors just cannot understand why Harry is never tired. His parents, however, are exhausted as they take it in turns to stay up through the night with him and they long for Harry to be able to sleep. They’ve tried everything from warm milky drinks and lullabies, to bedtime stories. The whole town, as well as famous authors and musicians, have tried to help.

Just as they’re about to give up hope, Uncle Pete the explorer returns from his travels. He learns of Harry’s predicament and thinks he may have the answer. And so begins a wonderful adventure to a magical faraway land. Accompanying Uncle Pete on his journey is a tiny talking mouse who’s a dab hand at flying an aeroplane, map-reading and mountain climbing. I loved the vividly imagined scenes, in particular the sky whales, cloud ships and jumpers threaded with stardust!

The book works really well serialised as a bedtime story, and it would be great too for newly confident independent readers. The lively black and white illustrations are a treat and add another layer of whimsy and fun to the story.

Rating: 💙💙💙💙

Suitable for children aged 5+

Thank you to Little Door Books for sending me this book to review.

Why not join in the live online event with the book’s author and illustrator on Friday 14 May 2021? Click here for free tickets.