Module 6: Llama, Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney

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 Book Cover Image:  

Book Summary:

This book touches on a familiar theme for all parents – the bedtime ritual.  Baby Llama is all tucked snug into his bed, but he gets anxious when Mama Llama has to leave the room.  He calls her but she doesn’t come back to the room right away (she is on the telephone) and Baby Llama grows more restless by the minute.  He becomes so fretful that he is wailing and crying for Mama, and she returns to him on the run and reassures him that even though she isn’t right next to him, she is always nearby to protect him.  Baby Llama then drifts off to sleep, content that his mother is watching over him.

APA Reference:  

Dewdney, A. (2005). Llama, llama red pajama.  New York, N.Y.  Viking.

My Impressions:

Toddlers and parents alike will love this story with its easy-going rhythmic verse and colorful illustrations.  The illustrator captures the anxiety on Baby Llama’s face – even the stuffed llama that Baby takes to bed with him mimics his fearfulness. Separation anxiety is a very real problem with many, if not most, children at some time in their lives.  Fear of the dark also plays a role in this story.  Toddlers will giggle at the way the story rhymes as well as the large, bold pictures that fill every page to its edge.

Professional Review:

“After Mama Llama reads Baby Llama a bedtime story and turns out the light, the llama drama begins. Feeling alone without his mama, Baby Llama wants a drink and calls down to Mama, who says she'll be up soon. But Baby Llama frets, whimpers, boo-hoos, pouts, and shouts. What if Mama is gone? At last, she appears (she was talking on the phone), and reassures her baby that she's "always near, / even if she's / not right here." Dewdney gives a wonderfully fresh twist to a familiar nighttime ritual with an adorable bug-eyed baby llama, staccato four-line rhymes, and page compositions that play up the drama. The simple rhymes call out for repeating, and the whimsical illustrations cleverly dramatize the increasing panic. Key worry words, such as fret, are highlighted, and for extra humor, Baby Llama's toy llama mimics his every expression. A real charmer that will leave preschoolers giggling and parents appreciating the familiar scenario.”

[Review of the book Llama, llama red pajama, by A. Dewdney].  (2005, April 1). Booklist,
 101(15).  1365.  Retrieved from http://www.booklist.com.

Library Uses:

Dewdney’s book would be the perfect read-aloud choice for storytime as well as an appropriate bedtime story for sharing between parent and child.  The book would be a great lead-in story for a library “sleep-over” or pajama party.