Book Nook - The Baby Who Stayed Awake Forever

Imagine yourself at 2AM, huddled in the corner of a nursery with your Notes app open on your phone, recounting the harrowing tale of a baby who can seemingly stay awake forever. Author Sandra Salsbury knows this scenario all too well as the origin story of her charming and hilarious new picture book, The Baby Who Stayed Awake Forever (On-sale 3/11/25, Doubleday Books for Young Readers). This is a laugh-out-loud tale that captures the universal experience of sleepless nights with a newborn and is a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered if their baby will ever sleep again.

Parents and siblings will share some BIG laughs together as they follow a very tired family trying every trick in the book to get their baby to sleep while their precious one jumps, pounds, yells, and even throws a 1 a.m. dance party. From throwing binkies to climbing the crib, this baby seems determined to stay awake forever!

Sandra Salsbury brings a unique level of humor and relatability to the genre of new baby and new sibling picture books, making her story equally enjoyable for both children and adults. Her family-friendly humor, wry tone, and perfect comedic timing will resonate with anyone who has experienced the challenges of caring for a baby and offers a lighthearted take on the sleepless nights that come with a newborn.

I had a chance to learn more in this interview.

Why did you write this book?
The book actually started out as a bit of a joke. I came up with the title and made a fake cover after one particularly bad night of sleep with my daughter. Parenting can be challenging in ways that feel impossible to understand until you are in the throes of them and sometimes all you can do is joke about it. I shared it over social media and a lot of people, including my editor, encouraged me to turn it into a real book.

Why will it resonate with parents and caregivers?
Even babies who are good sleepers will have the kind of night where they are randomly awake for an hour at 2am. Most of the baby’s antics are lifted from my personal experiences with my own daughter (particularly jumping in the bed) and I think they will feel very familiar to other parents.

What makes this a good book for adults and children alike?
The book tackles a subject matter that every family with a baby has to deal with, but I hope it brings some humor and light to a stressful situation. The book is silly and has a lot of exaggeration, but it also has a lot of truth and can help older children understand some of the adjustments that come with a new baby in the house. Parents and older siblings will recognize themselves in the baby’s family and some kids might even recognize a bit of themselves in the baby, too.


Sandra Salisbury is the Bay-Area based author and illustrator of Best Friend in the Whole World and Spreckle’s Snack Surprise. She was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she received a BFA and MFA in illustration from the Academy of Art University. Most days you can find her at home in Berkeley with her husband and daughter. The Baby Who Stayed Awake Forever was written using the Notes app at 2am, while huddled in the corner of a nursery.