NIGHT ANIMALS NEED SLEEP TOO

Having a restful day of sleep proves difficult for Possum and his fellow night animals.

In Marino’s follow-up to Night Animals (2015), the search for “somewhere dark and quiet” to sleep doesn’t go easily for Possum. Readers meet Possum on the endpapers, as the marsupial is woken by a singing bird welcoming the new day. The problem? Possum is a night animal and must therefore sleep during the day. As Possum looks for a place to lay down his head and sleep, other nocturnal animals join the search. First, Skunk suggests a cave. Yet before even turning the page, the dangers that lurk there are visible to attentive readers. Soon Possum trails behind him a band of sleepy companions—skunk, bear, beaver, gray wolf—all night animals looking to catch some Z’s while the sun shines. As each suggestion proves inadequate, the group must escape the dangers they encounter. Escaping is sometimes hard, as Possum, doing what possums do, often plays dead, and his friends must carry his inert body along. Marino’s illustrations of Possum and company—struggling to stay awake, playing dead, and running for their lives—are hilarious and endearing, as is her dialogue. Beaver: “Oh, Possum! I am so sorry you’re dead!” Bear: “He does that sometimes.” Brief facts on the nocturnal animals depicted appear on the inside of the dust jacket.

A midday bedtime book that will keep readers laughing.