I received a free copy of this book through the goodreads giveaway. This is my honest opinion and is in no way affected by this.
My 7 year old daughter read this book to me. It was great. Perfectly appropriate for her, easy enough for her to read, plus is rhymed. Me and my daughter thought the pictures where just beautiful, and the story teaches an important lesson about helping out. ( )

William and his animal friends, whose story began in author Linda Ashman and illustrator Chuck Groenink's William's Winter Nap, return in this second picture-book romp, this time welcoming a special guest, whose arrival marks the coming of spring. The rhyming narrative here begins: "On a quiet morning, / sleepy and still, / William looks out on / a moss-covered hill. / He hears a faint and distant tune, / and says, "My friend will be here soon. / It's been a long and wintry wait - / we need a cake to celebrate!" Soon the young boy is enlisting snoozing friend after snoozing friend to prepare...

A fun, read-aloud text is paired with bright, appealing artwork in William Wakes Up, which more than lives up to its predecessor in terms of story-time appeal. There are echoes here of the story of The Little Red Hen, although here the friends all eventually do contribute, when roused to the task by William. Even Raccoon, who resists to the last, is given the chance to redeem himself, and included in the party, rather than being punished. Recommended to readers who enjoyed William's Winter Nap, and to those looking for engaging new children's stories about welcoming spring. ( )