GO-GO GUYS

Be careful when you count those sheep. You don’t know what they might have in store.

In rhyming text, three diverse children make clear from the start that, “We’re Go-Go Guys. / We NEVER sleep! Our Go-Go brains… / GO… // BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!” Not content to stay in bed, the kids are freed from their room by the very sheep they’ve avoided counting. The house, in turn, reconstructs itself into a rocket ship, destined for the moon. But once they’re there, they’ll have to deal with the cranky heavenly body itself, who in turn urges them back to bed. Barely tamed chaos is the name of the game here, the text tapping into kids’ natural inclinations to avoid sleep at all costs. Happily, one of the book’s finer features is its read-aloud potential, since the rhymes perform with perfect scansion. Meanwhile, though prone to extreme goofiness, the art is not above the occasional breathtaking display, as when a turn of a page reveals a two-page spread featuring a massive, mighty moon. Vacillating between goofiness and splendor, the wordless visual gags just add to the fun (example: the quietly irate Mars at the end is a delight). (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Fans of insomnia? Rejoice! Sleepy parents? Beware.