Llama Llama Red Pajama

I think Llama Red Pajama deserves 3 out of 5 stars. The story shows a bedtime moment many kids understand a little llama tucked into bed, his mom giving a bedtime kiss, then leaving the room. Soon the llama begins to worry, feeling alone and afraid, and he calls out for his mother. As his anxiety grows the rhymes carry the drama well and the bright, expressive pictures show how scared and sad he becomes. When Mama Llama finally comes back, she reassures him that she loves him and that even if she’s not right there she’s still nearby. I like how the book captures that big feeling of being scared at bedtime and then offers comfort and safety at the end. The rhyming and the illustrations make it a warm read aloud. On the flip side the show more strong worry and crying from Baby Llama might feel intense for some children rather than calming. For me this book works well most nights, but sometimes I prefer a gentler bedtime story. show less

"Llama Llama Red Pajama" was a favorite in my house—my son absolutely loved it! The story perfectly captures the bedtime worries of little ones, with fun rhymes and an engaging rhythm that makes it great for reading aloud. The illustrations are expressive and charming, making it easy for kids to relate to Llama’s feelings. It's a must-read for bedtime routines!

Even though this is a children's board book, I am including it in my adult shelf. Because I think this book might have saved my bacon.

My two-year-old has not been sleeping well. She fights off sleep at bedtime, asking for "more song" and "mama sleeps too" and "mama sit," and no matter that I do what she asks, she immediately wants the opposite. And heaven help me if I just *leave the room*. But when a different family member takes the point on naptime or bedtime, she lays down quietly and falls asleep on her own. It was pretty clear to me that it was something about Mama -- either her knowledge that if Mama said it, it would be so, and she's in a period of exercising her independence, or an anxiety over Mama being "not right here." The show more fraught bedtime translates in to a fraught night. Waking up after just a couple hours, and spending a couple hours wanting to redo the bedtime routine. Lots of tears.

Llama Llama Red Pajama is the story of Baby Llama, in his red pajamas, who reads a story with his Mama Llama....you get the idea. Mama Llama goes downstairs to get a cup of water for Baby, and is distracted by dishes and a phone call. Baby Llama freaks out that Mama Llama is GONE. Mama Llama rushes back in a frenzy and reassures Baby Llama that "Mama Llama's always near, even if she's not *right here*."

Girl Child was entranced by this book. Her favorite page, of course, is the one where Mama Llama comes back. As Child and Daddy read this story together at bedtime (after I'd already read it twice with her), I deliberately went in and out of her room as much as possible sorting laundry and picking up toys to illustrate that Mama always comes back when she leaves. And then the bedtime routine began.

She climbed in bed. We sang one bedtime song. She asked for another. I said I was going to go sit with Daddy for five minutes and if she was awake when I came back, we'd sing another song. She nodded. I went, set a timer, and then returned. She was awake, so we sang a song. She asked for another and I said I'd be back in five minutes. She nodded. I went and set the timer again. After five minutes, I went in and rubbed her back. I don't know if she was awake or asleep. I suspect awake. But she didn't make a peep and she slept straight through til 6:30 this morning. We are going to try for a repeat of this miracle tonight. Our first solid night of sleep in OVER TWO WEEKS! show less

I liked the rhyming in this book and the rhythm to the lines were very entertaining. I did not like how the book got slightly scary and concerning for baby llama, but the message is wonderful. The message for the students is to be patient, this is a fictional book. To show children the importance of being patient, the book shows Llama Llama getting more and more worried the longer it takes for his mother to come. Eventually he sees that his mother was fine all along, and she was very busy. She showed that she still loved him, even though he may have needed to wait.

Llama Llama Red Pajama, written by author and illustrator Anna Dewdney contains the central theme of separation or separation anxiety between a parent and child. Reassurance also plays a key role in this story, through Mama Llama’s emotional reassurance and calm response, helps to remind readers that it is okay to be nervous about bed time or being alone. Author Anna Dewdney’s use of repetition throughout the story makes the story engaging to young readers, and allows for simple understanding that children are able to easily keep up with. My personal connection to this story involves how I struggled with separation from my mom as a young child, feeling the same way as Llama Llama. My mom used to read me this story whenever I was show more nervous about being alone at night, and it made me feel a lot better. No matter what, my mom made sure I was comfortable, and reassured me that everything was okay, like Llama Mama. show less

As a teacher working with children who struggle with emotional regulation, I find this book to be an amazing addition to the classroom. It deals with feelings of frustration, which many of my students experience. Llama Llama's relatable emotions would resonate with my kids, prompting important discussions about how to express feelings in healthy ways, such as using words instead of resorting to tantrums and physical outbursts. I’ve read this many times to my own boys at home as well.

This Llama Llama book is all about bedtime blues and separation anxiety.....two biggies the childhood development....and also two common bones of contention for those with littles.

Although I'm not a fan of Mama Llamas reaction to little Llamas calling out for her in fear....an angry scowl and repremanding a child isn't a way to instill positive reinforcement.... it's still a fairly good story....children find humor in the illustrations of Mama Llama running and this helps bring prospective to their unwarranted fears.

Overall....a pretty good book for children dealing with these issues.