Uncategorized

Book Review: “Stop That Yawn!”

Published

7 years ago

January 12, 2019

Terri Schlichenmeyer The Bookworm Sez

“I’m not tired!”

That’s what you might say when it’s time for bed. You want to stay awake for a while. Who can shut their eyes when fun might be happening? You’re not tired, but in the new book “Stop That Yawn!” by Caron Levis, illustrated by LeUyen Pham, you might act like you are.

Author Caron Levis. Photo by Jeremy Saladyga.

Gabby Wild lived with her Granny in Sleepytown. And she was tired of it!

All they ever did was sleep, nap, snooze, and lay in bed. Ugh, who needs that? Gabby begged and begged Granny to take her somewhere fun, somewhere there was action and where people actually stayed up all night. Finally, Granny agreed and they packed their toothbrushes.

When they finally reached Never Sleeping City, it was glorious. Nobody went to bed early. Nobody went to bed at all! Instead, they sung songs all night that weren’t lullabies, they enjoyed blinky lights, and they had ice cream whenever they wanted it. There was an opera house and dancing and music!

It was so much fun! It was so exciting, until Granny looked up to the skies. The moon was quiet and peaceful. Stars were twinkling softly. And – uh oh – she yawned.

As quick as a wink, the Yawn oozed down on Never Sleeping City. On the sidewalks, circus animals yawned and nodded off. The ice cream man took a snooze. The city’s baker stretched and opened his mouth wide. Gabby started to panic!

“Quick!” she yelled. “Grit your teeth, seal your lips, we have to stop that-“

But it was too late. The Yawn spread all through the city, up and down the streets, into shops and opera houses and into Never Sleeping City ’s city hall. Gabby rang bells, she shouted, but the Yawn was everywhere. Never Sleeping City was now asleep.

There was just “one place left for her to turn.” There was only one thing Gabby could do. There was just one place left to go, and she would have to take Granny with her!

For a book that would otherwise make an excellent bedtime story, “Stop That Yawn!” has a surprising amount of action in it.

If you’re a parent who’ll be charged with reading it aloud, take that as a warning. Author Caron Levis tells a great story, but the arrival in and the ensuing run through the fictional Never Sleeping City could serve to rouse a kid who’s a master at fighting sleep. There’s a lot to see in artwork by LeUyen Pham and while the illustrations are wonderful, they’re busy enough to add to the battle.

And yet, if you use your bedtime voice, how could your child resist a tale that so charmingly winds down an active night? How could you bear to miss a bedplane, or a Vegas-like cartoon town, or a giraffe that’s sweetly collapsed in slumber?

You can’t, and neither could your 4-to-8-year-old, especially if (s)he can’t sleep without a story. Read carefully, soft and quiet, and “Stop That Yawn!” is a book you’ll never get tired of.

“Stop That Yawn!” by Caron Levis, illustrated by LeUyen Pham, c.2018, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, $17.99 / $23.99 Canada, 48 pages.

Terri Schlichenmeyer The Bookworm Sez

Posts by Terri Schlichenmeyer The Bookworm Sez

Uncategorized

Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

7 months ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Special to The Post

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department (Oakland HCD) announced its awardees for the 2024-2025 New Construction of Multifamily Affordable Housing Notice of Funding Availability (New Construction NOFA) today Five permanently affordable housing developments received awards out of 24 applications received by the Department, with award amounts ranging from $7 million to $28 million.

In a statement released on Jan. 16, Oakland’s HCD stated, “Five New Construction Multifamily Affordable Housing Development projects awarded a total of $80.5 million to develop 583 affordable rental homes throughout Oakland. Awardees will leverage the City’s investments to apply for funding from the state and private entities.”

In December, the office of Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 City Councilmember, worked with HCD to allocate an additional $10 Million from Measure U to the funding pool. The legislation also readopted various capital improvement projects including street paving and upgrades to public facilities.

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is the media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

12 months ago

January 30, 2025

Oakland Post

Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 city councilmember. File photo.

Special to The Post

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units, including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Alameda County

Oakland Acquisition Company’s Acquisition of County’s Interest in Coliseum Property on the Verge of Completion

The Board of Supervisors is committed to closing the deal expeditiously, and County staff have worked tirelessly to move the deal forward on mutually agreeable terms. The parties are down to the final details and, with the cooperation of OAC and Coliseum Way Partners, LLC, the Board will take a public vote at an upcoming meeting to seal this transaction.

Published

1 year ago

January 11, 2025

Oakland Post

Alameda County Board of Supervisors Chairman David Haubert. Official photo.

Special to The Post

The County of Alameda announced this week that a deal allowing the Oakland Acquisition Company, LLC, (“OAC”) to acquire the County’s 50% undivided interest in the Oakland- Alameda County Coliseum complex is in the final stages of completion.

Oakland has already finalized a purchase and sale agreement with OAC for its interest in the property. OAC’s acquisition of the County’s property interest will achieve two longstanding goals of the County:

The Oakland-Alameda Coliseum complex will finally be under the control of a sole owner with capacity to make unilateral decisions regarding the property; and
The County will be out of the sports and entertainment business, free to focus and rededicate resources to its core safety net

In an October 2024 press release from the City of Oakland, the former Oakland mayor described the sale of its 50% interest in the property as an “historic achievement” stating that the transaction will “continue to pay dividends for generations to come.”

The Board of Supervisors is pleased to facilitate single-entity ownership of this property uniquely centered in a corridor of East Oakland that has amazing potential.

“The County is committed to bringing its negotiations with OAC to a close,” said Board President David Haubert.