I Am Not Going to Get Up Today!

A little boy decides nothing will wake him on this one day he chooses to sleep all day.

Ah, doesn't that premise sound nice? A day to just sleep in no matter what happens? The little boy at the center of the story refuses to wake up, even if a brass band plays outside his bedroom window or any other number of unexpected things happen.

This book written by Dr. Seuss features a great deal of rhyming, some repeated phrases, and only one or two made-up words for a change. It still has his signature fun and silliness, so it makes for an ideal early reader as marketed.

The illustrations are not by Seuss, so don't expect to see his typical (or rather atypical) animals and bizarre gadgetry. James Stevenson's illustrations are comparatively more show more realistic, although the watercolors do have a fair share of whimsy. show less

Without the whimsical perfection of Dr. Seuss' artwork to pair with his amusing rhymes this book falls quite flat, even though the concept of a child who won't get up for anything could have gone far. Seuss introduces a myriad of motivations - from big brass bands to the police - but unlike the no limits approach to fantasy that is apparent in his other work he ground this story solidly in reality. Obviously this method will create a realistic connection with stubborn sleepy children, but it does not exactly inspire children's minds to run wild. The fact that the ending has the mother giving up (and giving the child's breakfast to the policeman) also doesn't really jive with me, since most of Seuss' stories have a more positive ending. show more If he had ended the story with a phrase like "it's Saturday/the weekend" I would have been more sympathetic, since the surprise would have explained the child's logic and provided a laugh for the parents. show less

This book is about a boy who plans to sleep the day away. Nothing will wake him up, because he simply doesn't want to wake up. His family, neighbors, and the rest of the town all try to wake him up, but he doesn't. Everything keeps escalating as people try to wake the boy up, with the police and marines being called in to wake up this sleeping boy. When nothing manages to wake him up, everyone realizes that he's being serious. The book concludes with the boy's mom telling a police officer, "I guess he really means it. So you can have the egg," and she gives the police officer the breakfast meant for her son. That, for some reason, sent me into a laughing fit that lasted for a solid minute. I would've rated this book 5 stars, if not for show more the stereotypes that are portrayed in it. While the boy lists off places where kids are waking up for school, he mentions Alaska and China. The illustrations show kids wearing fur coats exiting an igloo and children walking along the Great Wall of China on this page, and I felt that it was pretty stereotypical. Despite that, I do think it was a good book that was relatable (because who doesn't want to sleep all day?), and I think kids would enjoy it too. show less

"You can tickle my feet.
You can shake my bed.
You can pour cold water on my head."

It gets more outlandish from there. In this amusing story a boy just simply does not want to get up. Who couldn't find something familiar in the the boy enjoying his soft pillow and remaining dedicated to staying in bed. It's an amusing story with enjoyable rhymes, not too many made-up words, and an array of familiar and unfamiliar names of cities and countries for early readers.

Unlike many of us, the little boy is able to stay contentedly in bed. The rhymes and repetition would be wonderful for audiences and the exaggerated means by which they try to wake him up would be entertaining.

This book is a great one for beginning readers. A stubborn little boy in determined to not leave his bed. He discusses all the places in the world where children may be getting up, but he says he would rather stay to his pillow and to be left alone. He tells his mother all the things that she could try to do to get him out of bed but none of them will work. After some time, his mother gives up and gives away his breakfast.

When I spotted the title of this book, I thought, "Hey, Dr. Seuss wrote a book about me." Alas, I missed the fact that he wrote the book, but he sure didn't illustrate the book. The magic is broken.
Appreciate this Beginner Book for its rhyming fun and its message that it's ok to spend a day in bed (which I certainly do!). Visually, it is not as astounding as other Dr. Seuss books by a huge margin. This will be forgotten...

"A rhyming story that is full of laughs. 'The alarm can ring. The birds can peep....Today's the day I'm going to sleep,' says a lazy boy one morning, and despite a pail of icy water, television coverage, and the arrival of the Marines, he vows to stay in bed--and he does!