Michael Wright (5) (1954–)

"Jake Stays Awake" is a cleverly crafted book that was obviously engineered for parents by a parent. I book's main idea is that Jake must learn to sleep in his own bed and that it is not a scary or bad thing to do, but good. I enjoy how the parents are flexible with Jake and let him figure out for himself that sleeping in his own bed is best for everyone. I also enjoy the rhyming themes in the book that make the sentences flow together and create a comforting predictability. As I parent, I show more would absolutely prepare myself with this book for the nights my children don't want to sleep in their bed. show less

A delightfully funny story about a boy who wants to eat nothing but peanut butter. Luckily (?) for him, his parents decide to oblige, making everything out of peanut butter,

"They dipped peanut butter crackers in their peanut butter soup. Jake was eating so much peanut stuff, he made peanut butter poop.”

A rhyming romp of peanuty fun! Allergies? No worries. There's a "Peanut-Free Zone" at the school!
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Jake is anxious about starting school - anxious? No, terrified! He's so scared, he won't let go of his parents, and so all day long he opts out of the fun activities. But his teacher turns out to be a genius about kids and finds a way to get him to let go!

This is a good book for children about to start school or go to a new school. Poor Jake is so nervous about starting school that he clings to his parents the entire first day. This renders him unable to make new friend, participate in fun projects, even go to the restroom! But as the teacher finally figures out a way to engage Jake, he is able to relax and open up, and sees that when he does so, he is able to spread his wings and accomplish all manner of things.