Goodnight, Sleepyville

A natural sequel to the creators’ Welcome to Morningtown, this volume features Sleepyville: a cozy, affable forest community inhabited by foxes, bears, rabbits, and other creatures. “The sun is setting,/ and everyone’s/ done for the day,” writes Hellman, and readers see animals heading home in evening light, pulling carts of groceries, popping into the library, then gathering for dinner before going through the familiar bedtime routine. In Henry’s illustrations, a parent and baby porcupine smooch, a family of worms snuggles under a leaf, and bears toast marshmallows in front of a fire. When the whole animal kingdom is bedding down in adorable vignettes, afloat on the sea or curled in a nest, going to sleep seems like the thing to do—and readers are assured that they’ll have plenty of company as they drift off. Ages up to 5. (June)