A super adorable read-aloud for storytimes or bedtimes. Love the family dynamic and the unexpected noise preferences of the wee one.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* this was such a cute book! very true too lmao would buy!

The idea here is easy enough to follow. Small children will appreciate the repeating structure of three examples of noise and chaos in the house with the refrain "And J.J. slept". The illustrations are charming and and an extra layer to a simple story.

A cute story about a mixed race adopted family welcoming a new baby.

Baby J.J. gets comfy fast with all the noise around him, but when all of the other kids are gone, the house is too quiet & baby J.J. can't sleep!

This book is quite simple, but it has a lot of diversity. It is cute. It would be great for families with adoption or foster kids. It would also be great for people with new babies and older siblings, although....not all babies need as much noise as J.J.

It depends on the library, but a first choice for diversity, a second choice if you are tight on book budget right now.

This is very sweet and funny! There's so much heart here. Baby J.J. arrives at his adoptive home that is full of warm, loving chaos. And he fits right in!

The presentation of this adoptive family is completely incidental--it's not part of the plot at all and is presented without comment. It's just a normal family with the typical issues of integrating a new baby. The illustrations are colorful and detailed and enhance the story beautifully. There is lots of expressive language to build vocabularies. This would be a great addition to classroom, school, and community libraries!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

This is a sweet book about an adoptive baby whose superpower is sleeping. The family is very eager to meet the new arrival and the baby receives a boisterous welcome home. His name is J.J. and the lucky little fellow is now part of a gaggle of siblings....four in all (and a free-spirited dog ), all who love life and celebrate it loudly every single day. Does all that noise and action deter the baby from sleep? No way. Through all the noise and bedlam J.J. sleeps on.

Then one weekend all his siblings leave the house to participate in various activities and the house becomes deathly quiet. Can you guess J.J.'s reaction to this unaccustomed deafening silence? The poor baby cries uncontrollably and doesn't settle down for one minute all the while they are away. When his siblings spill back through the door to return home once again J.J. curls up and drifts off to sleep perfectly content and happy now that his home is back to normal.

The vibrant illustrations are extremely well done and they visually enrich the text. They are brimming with action and humour. This book is the perfect segue to discuss what comprises a loving happy family. "And J.J. Slept" sends a heartwarming message to its readers and I highly recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of The River in exchange of my honest opinion.

This picture book was so cute and lovely and amazing and all the good things a book for toddlers can be!

I had a lot of fun reading it and looking at the beautiful pictures! And I really enjoyed the story!

Little J.J know where he belongs and will only feel asleep when he is surrounded by his family!

Review to come to blog on April 20th and then also later to blog/other places.

I received this book from Netgalley/publisher in exchange of an honest review.

This time it was the blurb that drew me in first, a baby in a full house and so not impressed with all the sounds, but the cover is also very cute and was the second thing that made me click that request button!

In this book a family adopts a new baby, named J.J.. He enters a house FULL of people, parents, 4 siblings (who are chaotic and don't seem to listen to their parents that well), and a dog (adorably named Cheddar)! You can imagine the noise that this kid has to live with. From a kid stomping around, to breakfast chaos, to a barking and enthusiastic dog, to beeps and boops of machines. But is J.J. bothered? Well, no, not really. Haha, that kid just does his things and sleeps like a log while his parents are surprised because who can sleep through all that noise? Well, J.J.! It was really sweet to see all the kids having fun and J.J. being part of the family and being happy to be surrounded by family. 

But what happens when the house is quiet? When the kids are away? When all the noise in the house is a bit of a washing machine and the snoring of the dog? Well... I can say that the answer made me laugh. Yes, it was a tad predictable, but still wonderfully done~ Oh J.J.! I loved this part so much and I found it immensely adorable (though yes, also sad for the parents as they just had no clue anymore). 

The ending is just the cutest, those last 2 pages, AWWW! 

The art was really fun, I love love the style~

All in all, a book I would recommend to all! Cute, adorable, sweet~

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

First off - I love this book and the family portrayed. They are loud, boisterous, and full of love for each other. When JJ comes home (through adoption), he is able to sleep through all the chaos and noise. When the house is quiet as other kids are out JJ is miserable. JJ knows what sounds like home and needs it to sleep.

This is such a sweet book. The story is about a multicultural family who adopts a baby named J.J. The baby quickly adjusts to his busy new home with a big family and lots of noises, but he just sleeps through the chaos. One day when the kids are gone and the house is quiet something unexpected happens with J.J.

I love that the family is diverse and that adoption is an important part of this story. As a Grade 3 teacher, I think this would be an excellent addition to my classroom library and any elementary or early years classroom. The story is easy to follow and the pictures are nicely illustrated. I would definitely recommend this book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this awesome childrens book!

“Be quiet or you’ll wake the baby1” We’ve all heard that. But J.J. is different. When a woman from the adoption agency delivers him to his new family, his parents, four brothers and sisters and family dog are all excited to meet him. He peacefully sleeps in his new crib while…there are washing machine noises, crying, yelling, playing, running. He sleeps through it all until the older children are out for the day. Then J.J. wakes. And he cries and cries until the house is again full of children and noise!

And J.J. Slept is a delightful story about families and home. I love the descriptions of the different noises, the realistic behavior and the vibrant illustrations. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kids Can Press and Loretta Garbutt for this ARC.

This is a story about the meaning of home or better yet the feeling of home after a family adopts a child! I enjoyed the atmosphere the book has and the illustrations.

Bring home a new baby for a large family is excited and life changing. The baby needs to sleep and the other kids are loud and just being kids. JJ sleeps good in all the chaos but when the chaos leaves, JJ has trouble sleeping. The parents are at a loss but the chaos always comes home and to JJ chaos is home! Good reminder for parents and other members of family.

A special thank you to Kids Can Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

Thank you, Kids Can Press, for the advance reading copy.

As a child growing up in a joint family with so many cousins in the house, I can totally understand what the story is about.

The story represents a family with kids bringing in another newborn baby and things got pretty confusing when the baby keeps sleeping with all the noise around, not used to a quiet environment.

I find the concept endearing and relatable.

I love the illustrations so much!

Thanks to Netgalley and Kids Can Press for a free digital copy.

I love this book about the sounds of home. We all need different things, but above all we all need to feel like we are at home. This is a sweet representation about what that looks like for baby JJ. It has darling illustrations to match the sweet story.

A simple look at a household where one factor seems to be topsy-turvy – the new arrival sleeps through the greatest noise, but cannot stand the out-of-the-ordinary quiet when it arrives. It's a whimsical little story, here delivered by people of colour, but there's not exactly a lot to it. It doesn't help that I saw a book where a mother dislikes the silence of an empty nest, done with mice, only recently. Both have the moral that hubbub maketh the home, of course. Three and a half stars.

That other option - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4354296907