Everyone Sleeps
Conrad, a big-eyed (one might say bug-eyed) pug, watches as his family gets ready for bed. But is Conrad tired? He is not. Unlike some, Conrad is bothered by this and heads outside to see who else is awake. In a bouncy and informative text, Conrad gets a look at how sleeping animals catch a few zzz’s. Ducks sleep swimming in a row. A bear sleeps for months before he wakes. Sometimes the text scans well (“Elephants sleep in a herd at night. / A monkey’s tail keeps the balance right”), and sometimes the rhymes are strained (“Rabbits sleep underground. . . . Snakes sleep lying down”). The rich ink, watercolor, and gouache illustrations are cleverly done and offer views from many perspectives; the delightful animals are the focal points of the spreads, though Conrad appears in each, observing sleep patterns. In the end, he finds someone up—his little girl owner. And what better way for them to get 40 winks than go cuddle up together? But all is not quite as perfect as it seems, because, as the last spread shows, Conrad snores. Preschool-Grade 1. --Ilene Cooper