It’s nighttime and baby Elisa can’t stop crying. What starts as a whimper becomes as noisy as a fire truck. Her parents try to comfort her, but to no avail. One by one, residents from Elisa’s apartment block stop by to offer support: a book, a bouquet of flowers . . . a choir of birds! In a matter of pages, the whole apartment block becomes a hive of zany activity. The family and residents try everything. They make promises and share secrets; a bunch of them even dress up as dancing fruit.

None of these wondrous antics stop Elisa’s crying and everyone winds up exhausted. Cue Grandma, who thinks she’s missed a party. She’s mistaken on that front but knows exactly what her granddaughter needs. She sets to work and after some gentle encouragement, Elisa loudly reveals what has been troubling her.

And peace reigns at last.

Recounted in the first person by Elisa’s older sibling, the language is simple, perfectly paced, scattered with similes, and bursting with humor. Joaquin Camp’s childlike yet sophisticated illustrations take the story to new heights. In one scene, Elisa and various other characters are shown in a tree full of flowers and birds. In another, the baby’s tearful face is beamed from a giant screen across a busy square. Each page is a hilariously entertaining triumph of color and composition.

Fart books are not my usual fare, but A Sleepless Night is no ordinary fart book. It’s a picture book tour de force.

A Sleepless Night
Written by Micaela Chirif
Illustrated by Joaquin Camp
Translated from Spanish by Jordan Landsman
Transit Children’s Editions/Transit Books, 2024

ISBN: 9798893380095

Reviews: Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus, Horn Book

Awards: 2025 USBBY Outstanding International Books List, 2025 Batchelder Honor Book

You can buy a copy of A Sleepless Night here or find it in a library, here.*

*Book purchases made via our affiliate link may earn GLLI a small commission at no cost to you.

Laura Taylor previously posted at Planet Picture Book, a world children’s literature blog she founded in 2017. She is a small business copywriter, NAATI-certified translator of French into English and member of AUSIT. When she is not writing, she is reading and spending time with her two young children.