Quirky illustrations with original characters let the gentle rhythm of this story unfold with perfect precision. -- Books for Keeps 20110501 About Oliver who was small but mighty: Through the terrific rhyming text and bold illustrations Oliver discovers that, though small, he is indeed mighty as he lives through his fears in this glorious, rollicking work of imagination. -- Julia Eccleshare, Guardian 20110501 A story with wonderfuflly rhythmic text, lively illustrations and great empathy for young children's fears. -- Nursery World 20110501 Oliver who was small by Mighty: Oliver A deliciously funny portrayal of the way that a small child transforms a bath into an epic, it will remind you why keeping at least one pirate boat and a few plastic sharks and dolphins are essential. -- Amanda Craig, Times 20110501 A picture book that will no doubt be revisited many times by any child lucky enough to get it. -- The Bookseller 20110501 'Small children snug in their own beds will relish such wild journeys by someone the same age as themselves' -- Independent on Sunday 20110501 In Oliver Who Would Not Sleep (Hodder GBP10.99), "Oliver Donnington Rimington-Sneep COULDN'T and DIDN'T and WOULD NOT SLEEP!" as a splendidly rhythmic text by Mara Bergman unfolds the story of a boy's imaginative play. He takes a trip to Mars before he settles down. Nick Maland's stylish illustrations add intriguing incident to the tale, using muted colour and lots of pattern. -- Nicolette Jones, Times 20110501 'I've left my favourite to last. Oliver Who Would Not Sleep is a tale of a boy for whom bed is the springboard of a restless imagination... Mara Bergmans' verse beings with the jaunty insistence of a nursery rhyme... revs up at blast off, grows quiet for Oliver's contemplation of Mars and then whizzes him back home and puts him gently, gently down to sleep. Nick Maland's illustrations keep pace, and they move the reader skilfully between the sold world of the bedroom and its contents and the porous world of play that Oliver makes for them. -- Clive Barnes, Books for Keeps 20110501 Fun illustrations and a clever rhyming text. -- Junior 20110301 The pictures are big, bright and enchanting... Bergman's rhyming text is spot on, both catchy and fun and easy to join in with. -- Carousel 20110701 This is a delightful picture book. It has a strong rhythm and rhyming stucture which make it great for reading aloud. -- School Librarian 20110701 A really good book that you could reread over and over again. -- Guardian 20110811

Mara Bergman grew up on Long Island, NY, and is the author of more than a dozen books for young children. Snip Snap!, illustrated by Nick Maland, won the Stockport Children's Book Award and a Parents' Choice Award (USA). Oliver Who Would Not Sleep, also illustrated by Nick Maland, was shortlisted for the Booktrust Early Years Award, and Oliver Who Travelled Far and Wide won the award in 2009. Mara's poetry has been published widely in magazines and anthologies here and abroad. She works as an editor of children's books and lives in Tunbridge Wells with her family. Nick Maland graduated in English & Drama from London University in 1981. He pursued a career in the theatre - acting and directing in the London Fringe - and, during this time, developed an interest in drawing, which soon took over as a full-time career. He was shortlisted for the Mother Goose Award in 1996 for Welcome Night and the Children's Book Award in 1998 for Brave Whale. He has a daughter and a son and lives in London.