Hello Sleep

By: Saehan Parc

Published by New York Review of Books, 2026-04-14

Told in comic strip form, this whimsical and soothing bedtime story for kids ages 4-8 will help struggling young sleepers drift off to dreamland!

We all sometimes have a hard time going to sleep. But did you know that Sleep itself can have trouble sleeping, too?

Sleep is a friendly figure with a magic wand, who visits all living things and sends them off to dreamland when night falls. You know about Sleep, she visits you every night without fail. But what about Sleep, doesn’t she need her slumber too? Everyone she stops to ask just dozes off!

Sleep travels the world, seeking cozy places to settle down, from atop a bunch of baby chicks, to Santa’s beard, to a baobob canopy; she listens to a lullaby, a meditation; she floats down the Amazon and rides an updraft in Siberia. Nothing does the trick: sleep keeps evading Sleep! Until a cat’s soft purring snore sends Sleep just where she needs to go. Goodnight, Sleep.

Saehan Parc's playful story and cute, dreamy illustrations will help young readers float off to dreamland.