Go Sleep in Your Own Bed!

Night has fallen on the farm and, as in many human households, none of the animals wants to sleep in its own bed. Pig’s plan to get shut-eye in his sty is thwarted when he discovers Cow sleeping there. Cow is admonished, but after she trudges to her stall, her derriere lands on Hen. And so it goes. The only animal who doesn’t have to settle for her assigned bed is Cat, who gets a plum spot indoors, snuggled up with her young caretaker. Nichols’s (Maple & Willow’s Christmas Tree) digitally colored ink cartoons humorously capture that distinctly after-hours sense of annoyance—there are a lot of furrowed brows and angrily pointed hooves. Fleming (Giant Squid) punctuates her text with plenty of crowd-pleasing refrains, remarks, and repetition: along with the title, each animal intruder emits a species-specific cry upon discovery and a distinctive grumble (“Oh, baaah-ther!” whines Sheep). No rationale is given for this jumbling game of musical beds, and readers won’t care one bit. Ages 3–7. [em]Author’s agent: Ethan Ellenberg, Ethan Ellenberg Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media. (May) [/em]