Tula Needs to Sleep

Tula Needs to Sleep is a bilingual picture book in Arabic and English for children aged 4 to 9 about an owl who has been up all night and cannot find a quiet place to sleep during the day.

Morning has come, and Tula has been playing with her friends all night. She finds a lovely tree to sleep in, but before she can doze off she hears a loud crunching. It is Georgina the giraffe, eating her breakfast from the branches. Tula flies to another tree, and this time Betty the Bee and her friends are buzzing about, making honey for lunch. In the next tree Sally the squirrel is cracking nuts for her afternoon snack, and in the one after that, Marvin the monkey is swinging through the branches looking for bananas for his dinner. Each animal asks Tula why she is sleeping in the daytime, and each time Tula answers: "Don't you know? Owls don't sleep at night!"

At last Tula flies far away and finds a really tall, quiet tree. She closes her eyes, and no noise wakes her. But by then the sun has gone down, and it is night-time, and as everyone knows, owls don't sleep at night.

The repeated pattern and the funny ending make this a book children enjoy reading again and again. It follows the day from breakfast to dinner, and it is a natural way to talk about how different animals live, and how some are awake at night. The book is made to help young readers improve their reading and listening and grow their vocabulary in both Arabic and English.

It is by Tarik and Rahema Ali, and it is music-free.

Tula the owl had been up all night playing with her friends. Now that morning had arrived, she was looking for a nice tree where she could get some sleep.

She found a lovely tree to sleep in. But before she could doze off, she was woken by a loud crunching sound. What could it be? It was Georgina the giraffe, nibbling on the branches. "Do you have to chew so loud?" said Tula. "Yes, I do," said Georgina. "It's my breakfast time. But why are you sleeping in the morning?" "Don't you know?" said Tula. "Owls don't sleep at night."

Tula flew off to look for another tree. This one looked nice and quiet, and she thought she could get some good sleep there. But this time she was woken by loud buzzing. It was Betty the Bee, with all her friends. "Must you all buzz around so loud?" said Tula. "Sorry," said Betty. "We are making honey for our lunch. But why are you sleeping in the middle of the day?" "Don't you know?" said Tula. "Owls don't sleep at night."

So she flew off again in search of another tree, and found one that looked like a quiet place to sleep. She was just about to drop off when, all of a sudden, she heard a loud cracking sound. It was Sally the squirrel, cracking open her nuts. "Do you have to do that now?" said Tula. "I'm hungry," said Sally. "This is my afternoon snack. But why are you sleeping now?" "Don't you know?" said Tula. "Owls don't sleep at night."

Tula flew off, annoyed, and found a tree that looked wonderful and quiet. She was sure she would not be disturbed there. But not long after, she heard something rustling. It was Marvin the monkey, swinging around the branches. "Do you have to move around so much?" said Tula. "I'm looking for bananas for my dinner," said Marvin. "But why are you sleeping now?" "Don't you know?" said Tula. "Owls don't sleep at night."

So she flew off, far away this time, and found a really tall and quiet tree. "I won't be disturbed here," said Tula. She closed her eyes, and this time there were no noises to wake her.

But by now the sun had gone. It was night-time, and as everyone knows, owls don't sleep at night.