Good Knight
show more
Sara Holly Ackerman, illus. by Ma Pe. Little, Brown, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-5235-2786-1
As a “kingdom’s hustle turns to hush,” the titular play on homophones provides an ideal jumping-off point for this story about a rambunctious, bedtime-resisting young knight who begs for “ONE MORE JOUST?” Ackerman’s rhymes mix medieval-style verse with comments from the recalcitrant youth as they battle their caregiver over bedtime prep: “Hounds trade the hunt for the hearth and home,/ while falcons nest with kin./ Though boars wake up to snout about,/ brave knights are turning in.// ‘NOT THIS KNIGHT!’ ” Pe’s slick digital cartoons play up the comedy of the conceit with physical humor that conveys the child’s over-the-top energy and the caregiver’s frustration. As an increasing percentage of the kingdom begins to drift off, the adult eventually manages to get their charge to “tuck your chain mail in the chest,” grab a “teddy beast,” and settle down for a non-punning “good night.” Protagonists are portrayed with pale skin and red hair; background characters are shown with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (May)
The Mixed-Up Owl
show more
Marzena Sowa, illus. by Joanna Lorho. Hippo Park, $18.99 (80p) ISBN 978-1-66264-093-3
An owl comes to embrace its nocturnal nature in this moody story that revolves around finding one’s place. While other forest creatures sleep soundly at night, Owl lies awake, worrying why he can’t slumber. During the day, Owl attempts to get answers from other critters; exhausted throughout the unsuccessful quest, the feathered subject accidentally falls asleep in another nest, a moment whose cascading effects lead to a barrage of criticisms from the woodland community. After the resultant cacophony rouses Hedgehog, Owl realizes that one can sleep when one is tired—and that the forest is just as awake at night. Sowa’s narration aptly communicates Owl’s genuine confusion but questionably amplifies the bird’s isolating predicament via other animals’ truly alienating commentary. Rendered in grayscale with pale spots of color, Lorho’s pencil and paint artwork depicts the protagonist’s plight sympathetically as he moves toward the calm that comes with self-awareness. Ages 4–8. (July)
Marching Band
show more
Kael Tudor, illus. by Kate Hindley. Nosy Crow, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 979-8-88777-207-3
Upbeat couplets from Tudor describe the wide-ranging adventures of a ragtag marching band in this cheering picture book that features an ample wind-down. A child and two animal companions start things off, parading through the city to a chant that becomes an iterative refrain: “The city! The city!/ They march on through the city!” Picking up an additional player at every location, the ever-expanding crew journey past a building site, across the beach, and into “the briny deep” for a concert that takes place inside bubbles before the route twists into a jungle and then up a mountainside. After a much-deserved rallying rest, the unstoppable crew head into outer space before Earth—and an extended route to bedtime—finally beckon. Hindley’s fully realized cartoons draw out the conceit’s humor via googly-eyed characters who lug their myriad instruments across snow and stars alike. It’s a raucous jaunt that yields fresh reasons for appreciation across repeated reads. Human characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (July)
The Dreams I’ll Dream Tonight
show more
Sarah Ruhl, illus. by Sally Deng. Simon & Schuster, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-5344-5329-6
Sweet dreams replace would-be nightmares in this surrealistically reassuring bedtime book. Narrated from a pale-skinned, dark-haired child’s point of view, first-person rhymes request “just one more book” as a defense against bad dreams. The child also wills positive, sometimes absurdist alternatives: “Tonight I won’t have nightmares./ No bad dreams for me.// Instead, I’m going to dream about// a hippo sipping tea.” Deng fully realizes Ruhl’s poetic nighttime visions with flowing, curvaceous markings and gentle, paper-texturized coloring. Verse and visuals alike reach their otherworldly pinnacle in a spread capturing “a dream inside a dream,” where the subject mingles with East Asian–cued imagery of koi fish, a bowl of noodles, cherry blossoms, and more. As concluding moments center on the predictable comfort to be found in a child-caregiver relationship, a final prompt urges readers to express their own dream-time wishes. Ages 4–8. (July)
Sweet Dreams: Moon Poems for Bedtime
show more
Charles Ghigna, illus. by Jacqueline East. Schiffer, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7643-6996-4
Short, evocative rhymes offer lunar tributes in 14 likable bedtime poems by Ghigna. Across varied poetic forms, verse variously compares the moon to a lollipop, an orange, a ball of ice cream, a lost balloon, a “Crystal/ Ball/ In flight,” and more. Shades of blue and purple predominate in East’s slick cartoon illustrations, which feature a husky-like pup on every spread: on one page, the dog catches raindrops on its tongue as “night rain” falls. Slumber-centered poems wind down the brief collection, culminating in lines that celebrate the celestial form as “Mother of the Night”: “She peeks in on each one of us./ And watches as we dream/ Gently placing kisses/ With every new moonbeam.” Ages 4–8. (Aug.)
A Monstrous Bedtime
show more
Kerilynn Wilson. Greenwillow, $19.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-06-333561-5
Bedtime gets rebooted with a “monstrous” twist in Wilson’s exuberant, imagination-fueled picture book. As a pale-skinned youth preps for bed, the routine unfurls with “a cup of water,// a fan whirring/ gently,/ a story, and a song.” But the telling takes an ebullient turn when the child is awakened by a sock-wearing, tentacled monster beneath the bed claiming, “I’m not sleepy.” The pair gets to work recreating the original bedtime formula—with an energetic flair. Thanks to an overflowing sink, the drink of water leaves the deep teal creature “soggy” rather than “sleepy,” and the fans used to rectify the situation end up creating a windstorm. Scratchy drawings deftly capture the chaos via homey scenes that grow increasingly cluttered amid the pair’s invigorating play. After dozens of books and a rousing vocal performance, the child finally begins to yawn—and the bedtime routine’s third time finally proves a charm. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)
The Sleeper Train
show more
Mick Jackson, illus. by Baljinder Kaur. Candlewick, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5362-3898-3
Proust-like remembrances meld with a personal travelogue in this transportive bedtime story. As a train chugs through the night, a restless child tucked into a compartment with their Indian- and Sikh-presenting parents tries to summon slumber, recalling “all the different places I have slept.” Anecdotal lines provide an account: at home between Mum and Dad, on a beach towel, in the hospital for an operation, and “in the bedroom that used to be my mum’s room when she was a girl,” among others. Breaking to consider “just me and the train driver, both wide awake,” and other sleepless children who might hear the locomotive, the reminiscences, coupled with the rocking cars, prove soporific—and at last add another locale for the child’s future recollections. Jackson’s first-person narration layers feelings of comfort and warmth across time and space, and Kaur’s saturated illustrations employ electric pinks, purples, and teals to render decorative motifs alongside the train and a range of lushly rendered locales. Ages 3–7. (July)
In Our Dreams
show more
Isabel Otter, illus. by Nabila Adani. Tiger Tales, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-66430-067-5
A “magic dreamscape” beckons with sensorial experiences of the natural world in this slumbrous rhyming picture book. From oceans and “deepest forests” to “mighty mountains” and meadows, a caregiver and child, both portrayed with brown skin, anticipate the peaceful pleasures and natural beauty that will infuse their dreams: “We’ll race through/ wild, sweet meadows,/ trail fingers/ in the grass,// then rest among the flowers/ as hours tiptoe past.” Adani’s gentle full-bleed renderings layer cool-toned swatches of color with a soft-edged airbrush effect. While the caregiver and child feature in each setting, calming vistas of illuminated landscapes predominate, offering an ideal frame for Otter’s easygoing verse, which undulates across each spread. After a journey that sees the loving pair imaginatively dive into word pools and taste falling raindrops, a starry cityscape sets the scene for a final caring enjoinder: “Close your eyes,/ my little one,/ and sleep/ in peace tonight.” Ages 3–7. (July)
You Are Not Alone
show more
Ingrid Law, illus. by Xin Li. Rocky Pond, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-593-69795-5
As a pale-skinned child anxiously prepares for slumber, a mantra-like refrain, “You are not alone,” supplies comfort in this emotionally grounding picture book. Law’s second-person prose conveys an empathic knowingness about nighttime fears (the way bedtime can feel “like it’s about to be/ you and no one else/ until morning”) before invoking soothing bedtime experiences as companions (“not alone,/ glows the night-light”). As the narrative widens beyond domestic moments, the nearby natural world too offers reassurance (“not alone,/ chirps the cricket”), soon echoed by “the porchlights of the homes,” vehicles rumbling in the distance, and stars above. Employing a texturized mix of materials, Li skillfully supports the story’s cozy qualities with homey details and scenes that make the whole world seem friendly. Ages 3–7. (Aug.)
Bright Lights and Summer Nights
Shauntay Grant, illus. by Zach Manbeck. Tundra, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-77488-366-2
Crisp, rhythmic phrasing from Grant and luminous, emerald-hued artwork by Manbeck chart a child’s enchanted summertime dreams in this vividly rendered picture book. Opening amid “bright lights and summer nights,” an adult sporting a crown seems to quiet a child intent on playing. With the wave of the adult’s wand, the tot travels forth into a marvelous land of balloons, carousel rides, caramel apples, forest friends, and more. Chain verse captures the strange, segue-ing quality of dreams as it points the way toward the night’s events (“Caramel and country road// Country road and trolley ride// Trolley ride and dreamy dark”), and the outing’s more fantastical aspects come to life through glowing, green-outlined mixed-media artwork, which features depictions of children and anthropomorphized critters frolicking through a fair and riding fireflies. As the story zooms back out, a portrait of the child curled up on a cloud warmly invites readers to drift off themselves. Characters are portrayed with various, sometimes fanciful, skin tones. Ages 2–5. (May)
Page
| Next
1 - 10 of 60 Children's reviews
