Rock Stars Don’t Nap

“While other babies whimpered and whined, Jimmy’s righteous wail shook the nursery all night long,” writes debut author Perkins of this title’s preternaturally rockin’ young protagonist. It seems like nothing can stop Jimmy on his rise to the top of the charts, especially with his mother and “biggest fan” at his side. Atkinson (the Simon and Chester series) turns every stop on the parent-child routine into rock concert spoofs. Digitally cartooned vignettes featuring ample emanata, Ben-Day dots, and music notes portray brown-skinned Jimmy shredding at the top of a slide and wailing into a banana mic in the checkout line. But the dark side of rock stardom emerges at nap time, when Jimmy carries out the equivalent of trashing a hotel room, lands “on the wrong side of the law,” and hits “rock bottom.” The events almost take the familial duo to a breaking point before the two hug and “rocked the night away” in a rocking chair. If most of the jokes seem aimed straight at adult fans of classic rock, the book’s core concept is sound: to besotted parents, every child is a chartbuster. An afterword playlist, “Jimmy’s Jams,” is dominated by white artists. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Natascha Morris, Tobias Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Nicole Tugeau, Tugeau 2. (Nov.)