cover image Sweet Dreams

Sweet Dreams

Kimiko Kajikawa. Henry Holt & Company, $17.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-8050-5890-1

In unobtrusively rhyming captions and intimate photographs from a variety of sources, Kajikawa captures animals both wild and domestic asleep in their natural habitats. The creatures come from land and sea, and their bedtime practices are diverse. Lions, said to ""sleep wherever they please,"" are shown draped languidly over the boughs of a tree; horses ""stand up straight and tall""; sharks ""rest with eyes open wide."" The last spread includes photos of a napping baby and mom and of a young girl, while the text makes the anticipated overture to readers: ""Everyone sleeps in a different way./ How will you go to sleep today?"" The appealing book design gives equal space to the photos and to the facing captions, which are set on photo-sized blank ground; both captions and photos are bordered in nursery-room yellow with muted blue motifs. Cleverly, this book goes beyond standard bedtime fare with its ample and intriguing endnotes, which offer a detailed paragraph on each animal's sleeping habits. Thoughtfully conceived, attractively executed. Ages 4-7. (Apr.)