Simon, like most children, is a creature of habit when it comes to bedtime. But while he can "carefully" brush his teeth and fastidiously fold back the bedcovers on his own, he needs Dad to help him fall asleep with their nighttime ritual—and his father lovingly complies, "every single night." Slowly pulling the covers up over his son's feet, Dad announces that "Africa is fast asleep." Simon imagines a panoply of indigenous animals that "dash home to their dens, their lairs, their hideaways." Debon (Dawn Watch
) adheres to a golden palette interrupted only by the black-and-white stripes of the zebras, as giraffes, cheetahs and lions scurry over a rounded plain that resembles the curvature of the planet. With Demers's (the Mademoiselle Charlotte series) text and Debon's artwork nicely contrasting the father-son tête-à-tête with the extravagant events unfolding in Simon's imagination, the ritual continues. Dad draws the covers up over Simon's knees (the oceans, where whales, sea horses and turtles swim in swirling hues of violet, aqua and tangerine) all the way up to his ears (the "world of wonder," populated by elves, magicians and fairies who keep watch so "nothing bad can happen"). Debon's paintings are equally successful, whether conveying the emotional bond between parent and child, or conjuring up a dramatically lit exodus of awe-inspiring creatures (all of which have counterpoints as toys or drawings in Simon's room). Ages 4-7. (Mar.)
