Only in Dreams: A Bedtime Story

The global marketing juggernaut that is the Paul Frank Industries character Julius—he's the pop-retro monkey character with the bright red mouth found on countless T-shirts and accessories—now makes his move into the children's book department. Julius's personality has no emotional texture or traction to offer—beyond irony, that is—and his narration is appropriately literal and blandly uplifting: “Flying is just one thing I can do in my dreams,” he says as he flaps his arms and sails over a playground. “Anything is possible!” Nascent and aging hipsters may find all this way cool, and the inexhaustible cheeriness of the digital, candy-colored images is undeniably impressive. But this is little more than a brand extension, filled with supporting characters that resemble refugees from an anime-inspired cartoon. Ages 2–5. (May)