Cuddle Up, Goodnight

An array of friendly animals participates in a boy's ordinary activities in Cleminson's (Magic Box) day-in-the-life-of-a-toddler bedtime book, which opens as an elephant's trunk lifts the boy gently out of bed ("It's time to wake up... and start the day with friends!"). The book presents a charming fantasy world where children and animals coexist without any interference from human adults. The boy and an octopus practice violin, a large teacher bear reads a book to a group of children and animals, and the dining room walls feature family silhouettes of both animals and people when "it's time to eat up." Both tranquil and sweet, Cleminson's deceptively simple ink, pencil, and charcoal drawings show the boy with creatures who seem contented just being in his presence. There's a strong theme of self-sufficiency: the boy dresses himself (albeit with a bow-and-arrow and feathers as part of his ensemble), goes to school, plays, and enjoys a very polite dinner, until "it's time to clean up!/ Then pick and choose,/ search and look,/ and read aloud/ the perfect book," and go to bed. Ages 2–5. (Feb.)