Benjamin Leavitt’s Wake Up!!, illustrated by Ethan Roffler, is a delightful picture book about the runaway force of a child’s imagination at bedtime. From the opening page, the story radiates restless energy. A wide-awake child resists sleep with absolute determination, while an exhausted parent struggles to keep pace and, eventually, get some rest.

Told from the father’s perspective, the story places readers right in the middle of his daughter’s whirlwind imagination. What begins as an ordinary bedtime soon spirals into a series of increasingly chaotic, funny, and unpredictable moments. Animals appear as if summoned from thin air, each new arrival adding another layer to the child’s ever-expanding narrative. The escalation feels natural. It also feels familiar. Anyone who has tried to persuade a child that bedtime truly means bedtime will recognize the pattern at once. One idea sparks the next. The chaos gathers momentum. The parent is left trying to untangle it all and guide them both toward sleep.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its relatability. Children will recognize themselves in the story’s boundless imagination, that remarkable ability to stretch a single moment into an entire world. Parents will recognize something else entirely: the fatigue, the patience, and the quiet desperation of trying to settle a child who will not stop talking, wondering, or inventing. The result feels honest, amusing, and unexpectedly comforting.

The writing has a lively rhythm that makes the book especially effective as a read-aloud. The prose moves with ease and has the natural cadence of conversation, which suits bedtime reading beautifully. There is also a pleasing irony at work: reading a book about a child who refuses to sleep while attempting to coax your own child to sleep. That contrast only adds to its charm.

The illustrations were easily my favorite part of the book. They carry a crayon-like texture that feels playful, warm, and immediately familiar, almost as though they were drawn by a child. That quality makes the story even more immersive for younger readers. The artwork does more than complement the text; it actively advances the storytelling. For children just beginning to read, that visual support is especially valuable.

Wake Up!! is funny, energetic, and deeply relatable, and I would recommend it to any parent who has ever spent the night wide awake because of a child’s unstoppable imagination.

Pages: 44 | ASIN : B0GV1LQGYJ