The Cot in the Living Room

By Hilda Eunice Burgos, Gaby D'Alessandro (Illustrator)

A girl learns empathy when she finally sleeps on the coveted living room cot.

4.3/5 Goodreads · 523 ratings

40 pages· 675 words· Est. 6 min read-aloud

$18.99Save 5%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

In a bustling New York apartment, a young girl envies the children who sleep on the living room cot with its view of the George Washington Bridge. When her chance finally comes, she discovers the cot isn't as glamorous as it seems. Through this experience, she learns the value of empathy and community. Will she see her neighbors in a new light?

From the publisher

A young Dominican American girl in New York City moves from jealousy to empathy as her parents babysit children whose families work overnight shifts in this honest and warm picture book debut. Night after night, a young girl watches her mami set up a cot in the living room for guests in their Washington Heights apartment, like Raquel (who’s boring) and Edgardo (who gets crumbs everywhere). She resents that they get the entire living room with a view of the George Washington Bridge, while all she gets is a tiny bedroom with a view of her sister (who snores). Until one night when no one comes, and it’s finally her chance! But as it turns out, sleeping on the cot in the living room isn’t all she thought it would be. With charming text by Hilda Eunice Burgos and whimsical illustrations by Gaby D’Alessandro, The Cot in the Living Room is a celebration of the ways a Dominican American community takes care of one another while showing young readers that sometimes the best way to be a better neighbor is by imagining how it feels to spend a night sleeping on someone else’s pillow.