TUMBLEBABY

A sleeping baby embarks on a variety of adventures.

While many tales are intended to convince little ones that it’s time to go to bed, this tale focuses on an infant who stays completely asleep while rolling out of the crib and out the door. Tumblebaby escapes scoundrels, becomes the Captain of the Coyotes, and travels through Oklahoma City, Kansas City, and Colorado City. After sleeping through winning the gold at the Winter Olympics, Tumblebaby rolls home “covered with stickers from various hotels and attractions.” With a purple body and a kaleidoscopic head, this cherubim wobbles and somersaults through an unusual world that’s vividly depicted with visible brushstrokes in gouache and acrylic paints. On Weber’s double-page spreads, the baby ranges in size from tiny to enormous. Psychedelic text and illustrations move this tall tale along as quickly as a dream. Rhyming chants interspersed throughout will have readers reciting along (“Tumblebaby, / rumblebaby, / give a snout / a whack. / Serve ’em / humble pie / and you’re / the leader / of the pack”). Though tonally the story feels like a fable of yore, more modern topics, such as characters building a community center in Colorado City, are folded in. Right on the edge of nonsense, this book will surely spark curiosity among young readers.

A satisfying tumble through the imagination.