PUBLISH DATE: February 3, 2026

The first thing I noticed when I opened this book was the amazing, bright and colorful illustrations. That being said, the writing is great for kids as well. Rather than "chapters" the book is broken into topics with brief facts so that kids can learn, and read, without losing their attention. This book covers everything from "How Our Bodies Know to Sleep", to Dreams, Animals and their sleep and assessing your own sleep type. It includes a chart for choosing the type of sleeper you are, a sleep flow chart and a glossary of terms used in the book. Overall I highly recommend this book for your kids, it is educational, and mixes in some of the fun questions your kids may have when you bring up the topic of sleep!!

I received a complimentary digital ARC [Advanced Readers Copy] of this book via NetGalley. Thank you to the Publisher and the Author for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. As always, the opinions expressed in this review are my own

BOOK TITLE: Why Do We Sleep?
AUTHOR: Cathy Evans
ILLUSTRATOR: Polya Plavinskaia
PUBLISHER: Publisher Spotlight | Cicada Books
FORMAT: ebook
PAGES: 48

In a colorful, busy style, Evans illustrates this book on sleep using creative paper cut outs to show the bustling world of Sleep - how different animals sleep, what happens to the body during sleep, the different stages of sleep, the many processes happening in the brain, the different cultural attitudes towards sleep and dreams, the many ways sleep can go wrong, and how to sleep better.

Chock full of facts and fun pictures, this is a great science book for readers interested in finding out just why they are being told to go to bed.

Absolutely gorgeous illustrations and a wonderful introduction to the science & mechanics of sleep. I think children will be especially interested in how animals sleep, as well as the overview of dreaming/nightmares and the meaning of common dreams. Sleep disorders and sleep myths are also explained in an easy to understand way. Finally, the sleep flowchart at the end guides the young reader through a self-evaluation of their own sleep habits / sleep quality to help them improve their sleep. Great nonfiction title for 3rd grade & up

I loved this little book. its packed full of information and interesting drawings. I will definitely buy a copy for my daughter

I read this children’s book with my 3 and 7 year old and they were both equally engaged, each for different reasons. My younger child was captivated by the illustrations and had fun describing them. My 7 year old appreciated all of the information related to sleep. I was impressed with the amount of information organized into this book, which is 29 pages. You will find information related to why we sleep, dreams (why and what they mean), sleep disorders, animal sleeping habits, hibernation, and sleep hygiene. This is perfect for children that are curious and love to ask questions.

Thank you Cicada Books for the arc digital copy.