cover image While You Are Sleeping: A Lift-the-Flap Book of Time Around the World

While You Are Sleeping: A Lift-the-Flap Book of Time Around the World

Durga Bernhard, Charlesbridge, $14.95 (24p) ISBN 978-1-57091-473-7

Well-suited to storytime, bedtime, or just about any other time, this soothing picture book leapfrogs around the globe to drive home the idea that in any given moment, kids worldwide are sleeping, working, playing, and dreaming. "While you are reading," Bernhard opens, "on the other side of the world, someone is getting dressed." Opposite an Alaskan mother and child reading together at 10 p.m., a circular flap lifts to reveal a Nigerian girl tying her head wrap at 9 a.m. From there, Bernhard jumps to Japan, Mexico, India, and elsewhere as children engage in everyday activities. A closing note touches on time zones, the prime meridian, and 12- versus 24-hour clocks. Ages 5–8. (Feb.)