ALA Booklist (Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Noa loves Teddy, but Teddy is the worst! He is always sleeping and never awake to play in the daytime like other kids' stuffies. Little does Noa know, Teddy actually spends the whole night watching over Noa as a protective guardian while he sleeps, shooing away a ghost, the boogeyman, an overenthusiastic tooth fairy, and even a tickle monster. No wonder Teddy needs a nap! Created with deliberately unpolished, childlike renderings in a mix of crayons, cut paper, and digital collage, the artwork in this debut picture book has that Todd Parr appeal of familiarity and achievability for toddlers and young children. The daytime spreads are dominated by warm gold, and the nighttime scenes are saturated with midnight blue, creating an easily differentiated palette for little readers. The story is simple, and there are some repeated refrains of predictive text that librarians and preschool educators may utilize for increased engagement. And although some adults may balk at Noa's persistent grumpiness, the message of teddy bears as nighttime protectors will be comforting to many a tiny reader.

Horn Book (Fri Jan 13 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Stuffed bear Teddy has one job to do, according to Noa. Every morning, Noa wakes up bright-eyed and ready to play. Teddy, on the other hand, can barely keep his eyes open and naps from sunrise to sunset. "Sometimes, Noa thinks that Teddy is the worst teddy EVER!" Little does Noa realize that every night creatures come calling, from a ghost to the tickle monster, and it is brave Teddy who keeps them at bay. Verdad's engaging text uses only a few sentences per page. His illustrations -- cut-paper, crayon, acrylic paint, and digital collage -- have a playful feel that recalls Christian Robinson's child-centric style. The book's human characters are largely formed from basic shapes and scribbles, adorable in their simplicity. The nighttime intruders are similarly spare, but with small details that make them endearing rather than scary. After sending a giant purple boogeyman away with toys, Teddy chases the tooth fairy from the sleeping child's bedroom -- with a fly swatter. Simultaneously published in Spanish as El peor Teddy del mundo. Hill Saxton

Kirkus Reviews

An unusual teddy-child relationship.Noa, a brown-skinned child with scribbled black hair, loves taking Teddy to the breakfast table, the playground, and everywhere else, in the tradition of children with their favorite stuffed animals. But Noa is frustrated-the small, brown, round-eared bear is always sleepy, shown with line eyes drawn in the classic "asleep" curve. It's somewhat unclear if this is in Noa's imagination or if Teddy is actually sentient enough to be exhausted, but after an abrupt transition, the bright-yellow day scenes turn to dark-blue night. A ghost, the Boogeyman, the Tooth Fairy, and the Tickle Monster all drop by, just to visit, but Teddy doesn't let them interrupt Noa's sleep and sends them all kindly on their ways. Noa never discovers that Teddy is sleepy because of this nightly defense. There are some minor hiccups in the story's pacing, and a reliance on all uppercase words to indicate emphasis ("Or at least they TRY to….Teddy is ALWAYS tired!") points toward a blunter storytelling style. But this is more than made up for by the delightful, childlike illustrations, created with paper cutouts, acrylics, crayons, and digital collage, that brim with deep emotion and barely contained energy and will immediately appeal to young children. The plot is a fun, reassuring twist on several common themes. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Great for bedtime or anytime. (Picture book. 4-7)