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...