My Pillow Keeps Moving! by Laura Gehl
AUTHOR: Laura Gehl
ILLUSTRATOR: Christopher Weyant
PUBLISHER: Viking Books for Young Readers
AGE RANGE: 4-8
EXCERPT:
A lonely man tries to buy a pillow . . . and ends up with a new best friend in this silly and sweet doggy tale, perfect for fans of Officer Buckle and Gloria.
Dogs make good pillows, don’t they?
A clever pup ends up in a cozy home, and she’ll do anything to stay there. She impersonates everything the lonely homeowner needs–a pillow, a footstool, a jacket. But in the end, being herself works best. Laura Gehl’s spare, humorous text and New Yorker cartoonist Christopher Weyant’s expressive characters will leave young readers giggling and begging for more.
WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK:
The interplay of text and art in My Pillow Keeps Moving!, written by Laura Gehl and illustrated by Christopher Weyant, is brilliant. Young readers are incredibly observant. Chances are kids will notice details in this book that adults won’t. I love books like this because you spend more time taking in each spread. The wordless spreads are done so well that these moments lead to little fingers interacting with the page and little voices telling adults exactly what is going on.
I love reading this book aloud. My kids think my voice for the salesperson is hilarious. His character is so perfectly cheesy. I can’t help myself.
My friends and family ask me for picture book recommendations all the time. In my writing circles, writers often ask for mentor text suggestions. Especially suggestions of funny picture books written by women. My Pillow Keeps Moving! is always at the top of my recommendation list.
The re-readability factor of this book is off the charts. The only other book that makes my kids laugh as much is Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka. My ten-year-old son reads MG and mama-approved YA, but he still adores picture books. My Pillow Keeps Moving! is one of his favorites.
“The art is SO funny! The salesman is my favorite character. He’s really, really silly.” -Mason, age 10
“I love absolutely everything about it! The cat is my second favorite character.”- Sophie, age 6
Laura Gehl
Laura Gehl is the author of ONE BIG PAIR OF UNDERWEAR, a Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Title and Booklist Books for Youth Editors’ Choice; HARE AND TORTOISE RACE ACROSS ISRAEL, AND THEN ANOTHER SHEEP TURNED UP, and KOALA CHALLAH (all PJ Library selections); and the PEEP AND EGG series (Children’s Choice Book Award Finalist; Parents’ Choice Recommendation). Upcoming releases include I GOT A CHICKEN FOR MY BIRTHDAY (Carolrhoda/Lerner) and MY PILLOW KEEPS MOVING (Viking/Penguin Random House). A former science and reading teacher, she also writes about science for children and adults. Laura lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland with her husband and four children.
Laura’s most recent picture book, DELIVERY BEAR, is available for pre-order.
Learn more about Laura’s work:
Website: Includes info on free Skype visits, info on author visits, free curriculum guides, free autographed bookplates, and free activity sheets.
Follow Laura on Social media:
Excellent post about illustrator Christopher Weyant’s creative process:
OTHER REVIEWS of My Pilllow Keeps Moving!:
Where to find My Pillow Keeps Moving!:
Paint with Words 
I will have to check this one out! It looks adorable!
My daughter loved this book when she was younger, and so did I. The art reminded me so much of books from when I was a boy 🙂