Can I Just Take a Nap?

Readers know the classic book for reading your grandchildren to sleep, “Goodnight, Moon.” A new classic has been introduced, “Can I Just Take a Nap?”

: A bowl of Cheerios (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ron Rauss, architect, poet and first-time children’s book author, decided to enter a contest in 2010 that Cheerios hosts every year for new children’s book authors. He won, beating out more than 8,000 entries.

Simon and Schuster published his book and General Mills, owner of Cheerios cereal, put a small, paperback version in three million boxes of Cheerios. Now, it’s out in hardback. Although Rauss is also an illustrator, his publisher chose Rob Shepperson to illustrate this book.

This is the sweet story of a sleepy little boy who wanders all over trying to find a quiet place where he can take a nap. Author Rauss says it was really a story about how tired he was as a new, stay-at-home Dad.

New parents and grandparents, unused to the early rise and unbounded energy of children and grandchildren, can relate. But, grandparents also know that one of the ways to get a tired grandchild down for a nap or down for the night is to have a soothing ritual, like reading to them in bed, or just before you take them to bed.

The child in this book, Aiden, was named after Rauss’s own, now four-year-old son. A book soon to follow will feature Rauss’s 18-month-old son, Jaxon.