The Perfect Siesta

Chilean author-illustrator Mena makes his U.S. debut with a playful story about how irresistible a nap can be when the conditions are just right. On a hot jungle day, a breeze drifts over an overheated jaguar. Eager to take a siesta, the jaguar asks a coati to wake him up in 10 minutes, claiming that he has “something really important to do.” (The jaguar’s plans aren’t revealed, but his narrowed yellow eyes suggest that this is an offer that shouldn’t be refused.) The breeze proves equally soporific for the coati, who requests a similar wake-up from a cockatiel, who then passes the buck to a sloth. The sloth’s struggle to stay awake for 10 minutes is the book’s most entertaining sequence (“The sloth was battling sleep more than any other sloth in sloth history”), and her epic, peace-shattering snore wakes everyone up right on time. Mena’s crisp, stylized graphics exaggerate the animals’ actions and reactions for maximum comedic effect—there are lots of heavy-lidded eyes and big yawns. It’s an old-fashioned story at heart, but Mena’s art and a sharp translation leave it feeling fresh and funny. Ages 3–7. [em](June) [/em]