Fun but probably not the best book to read aloud to little ones immediately before bedtime.
Wakeful babes, unite and toddle on!
The nefarious forces of sleep are working hard to entice babies into a deep slumber, but light-skinned Wide-Awake Baby is determined to overcome them. She’s assembled a stalwart army of pajama-clad Midnight Babies to ensure they remain awake all night. Armed with noisemakers, this defiant band makes its cacophonous way through enemy lines. The terrain is treacherous: There’s the Forest of Nightlights, the Sea of Stories, the Garden of Lullabies, the Rockabye River, and, finally, the perilous shores of Nodoff with its menacing Army of Teddies. Unsurprisingly, one baby after another succumbs to temptation along the way and slips into blissful snoozing until Wide-Awake Baby is alone. Finally, even she falls deeply asleep, giving in to the ever so heavenly Cuddle. She finds herself in the land of Sleep, surrounded by frolicking Midnight Babies, enjoying games and treats galore; they’re all unable to remember why they tried so hard not to go there. Next morning, Wide-Awake Baby, having been duped, determines to put up resistance again that very night. This clever, tongue-in-cheek story will be best appreciated by parents familiar with sleep-delaying tactics. Very small tots may not pick up on the tricky niceties—yet. The dynamic, cartoony pencil-and-charcoal illustrations, colored digitally, are lively and imaginative and feature lots of endearing, wide-eyed, racially diverse infants. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Fun but probably not the best book to read aloud to little ones immediately before bedtime. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: June 13, 2023
ISBN: 9781419759543
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023
A soothing bedtime reminder of a parent’s unconditional love.
Grammy Award–winning singer/songwriter Monét’s picture-book debut reassures the very young that their caregivers are always watching over them.
A smiling yellow star watches the equally cheerful moon; both are heavily anthropomorphized, with eyelashes for the moon and pink cheeks for the star. A page turn reveals the star, now downcast and in the corner of a mostly dark spread: “Sometimes the sky is dark and you can’t see the moon at all.” The following spread, depicting a sparkly sky with both characters back in view, reminds children that the moon is there, even when it’s not visible: “Think of me as the moon / It’s always in the sky / Just like I will forever be / a bright light in your life.” Both orbs beam. “I’ll always be your moon / You’ll always be my star / Just keep me in your heart and / I’ll be everywhere you are.” This becomes the refrain after a few more verses that continue the theme of the moon as a metaphor for emotionally present, ever-loving caregivers. Little ones will happily repeat the words as they’re lulled to sleep. The book ends with a heartfelt dedication from the author to her daughter and to parents who balance caregiving duties with careers. Monét notes that she set out to show children that their parents’ devotion endures no matter what—a goal achieved by both text and art.
A soothing bedtime reminder of a parent’s unconditional love. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780593698419
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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