cover image Time for Bed

Time for Bed

Illus. by Thierry Bedouet. Twirl (Chronicle, dist.), $12.99 (12p) ISBN 978-2-74598-177-6

If only putting kids to bed were always this easy: by pulling on a series of embedded tabs, readers can help animal parents tuck in their little ones, transforming images of tender bedtime exchanges into ones of contentedly sleeping crocodiles, kangaroos, and other animals. Each child has an excuse at the ready (“No, no, Daddy. It’s too dark!” complains an orange monkey), which is calmly and compassionately deflected by its parent (“Don’t worry, little monkey. I’ll leave the door open,” says the monkey’s father). Bedouet’s cartooning has a lovely retro aesthetic, and the smooth pull-tab action could almost have some children believing that falling asleep is as easy as flipping a switch. Ages 1–4. (Apr.)