PreS-Gr 2–Mack opens with a single word, and it’s not playtime. “Bedtime,” says a boy in blue-striped pajamas to a wide-awake, toy-laden gorilla. As the boy leaves, his tucked-in friend opens one eye and grins. While the gorilla juggles alphabet cubes under the purple blanket in his dark room, the title—and the only other word in the book—reemerges: PLAYTIME. The boy races in, shushing and whispering, “Bedtime. Bedtime.” The exchange intensifies as the room alternates between dim and bright, with the gorilla ever more frenetic and the boy more nettled. Will...

How do you get a chimp to sleep? An appealing towheaded white child in striped pajamas negotiates for bedtime with a wide-eyed pet chimp in this humorous, straightforward, near-wordless story. Colorful pictures with just the right amount of detail energetically depict these charming characters as they tease, scold, and frolic. Young children will delight at the assignment of roles—it's the child who says it's time to sleep—as the chimp mischievously insists on staying up to play with toys, juggle, and even hang upside down. The minimal vocabulary—the text...

A sturdy-looking French bulldog, clearly a beloved member of the family, narrates this story of a day spent with his humans—Sis, Mom, and Dad. The day begins with dog and Sis asleep in bed together (“ZZZZZZZ”). The friends/siblings wake, eat breakfast, and then head outside. Each makes a friend, Sis at the playground and our narrator at the dog park (“Hello!” “Hello!” / “Sniff!” “Sniff!”). Together pup and Sis chase a squirrel, separately they take potty breaks, and then the whole family rides to the market—on a three-seat tandem bike, bulldog napping in a...

A French bulldog narrates a simple but charming story about the activities of his day with a parallel look at similar behavior by his human companion, Sis.

The dog and the preschool-aged girl are sleeping in bed together as the day dawns, with ribbons of ZZZZs entwined around them to emphasize their somnolent state. Bold, stylized illustrations in neon-bright colors use simple shapes, varied type treatments, and creative labeling to show the differences and similarities in the actions of canine and child. Some spreads illustrate the dog and girl meeting ne...

The story of the struggles and achievements of the Tuskegee Airmen is told in vivid informational poetry.

Pre-World War II efforts aimed at improving the opportunities for African-Americans in the military faced strong opposition, but flight programs such as Tuskegee’s had a strong advocate in Eleanor Roosevelt, and she convinced President Franklin D. Roosevelt to support them. The preparation was vigorous, under the direction of white officers who were also affected by the racism of the time: “For them, choosing Tuskegee / means never making general, / but...