Baby Bedtime

Here's a wonderful little lesson in the subjunctive from master teacher Fox (Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes). As a purple mother elephant gets her lavender baby ready for bed, she enumerates all the things she "could" do: "I could eat your little ears./ I could nibble on your nose./ I could munch your tiny fingers./ I could gobble up your toes." Readers will instantly know that Mom has actually done--or is doing--all these things and more, but her savvy grammatical construction enables the mother elephant to assure her baby that he's adorable while acknowledging the higher power of discipline and routine: "There comes a time for sleeping and our sleepy time is now." Quay's (Goodnight, Me) mixed-media pictures establish a mood of reverie, and her characters have blissful, loving expressions that keep the cooing text from turning soggy; sharp eyes will notice that she incorporates actual items of cozy domesticity, like doilies and handkerchiefs, into the pictures. After a few pages of soft-crayoned textures, pastel hues, and arm's-length framing, a visual sameness sets in, though readers should find it soporific. Ages 4-8. (Aug.)

Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

PreS--In this soothing bedtime ode, an elephant in a bathrobe snuggles and carries her baby up to bed. Gentle hugs and kisses are accompanied by nose nibbles, toe gobbles, cradling, whispers, book reading, hair stroking, and yawns as bedtime draws near. In this beautifully designed book, a line of text is paired with an image rendered in muted pencils, acrylic paint, and Photoshop. Each illustration abounds in patterns and textures created from items such as doilies, handkerchiefs, lace, baskets, and belts. The elephants have an unfocused, sketchy look that pairs perfectly with twilight and dreams around the corner. This gentle lullaby in book form is perfect for sleepy toddlers and parents who will want to mimic the actions in the book.--Marge Loch-Wouters, La Crosse Public Library, WI

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

An elephant parent rhapsodizes about its baby in a lyrical, rhyming story that also serves as bedtime prep: "I could stroke your silky hair. I could sit you on my knee./ I could sing you all the songs that my mother sang to me...".The rhythmic text is both lovely and lulling. Quay's illustrations, in subdued pastels, are a combination of pencil, acrylic paint, and digital elements, including patterns and textures of lace, knitting, cloth, and basketry. The darker, smudgy outlines of the lavender-gray elephant parent and child give them a gentle solidity and the figures themselves are appealingly rounded and toylike; their sweet expressions and cozy physical interactions nicely complement the slightly patterned, strongly hued backdrops. This would make a mellow closing title for a nighttime story hour or a pleasantly soporific bedtime read for families.—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books