No More Naps!

A nap is a terrible thing to waste. So when a very stubborn pigtailed girl named Annalise Devin McFleece refuses to take one (“NOOOOOO!”), even after her desperate father has taken her on a hopefully soporific stroller ride in the warm sun, a gentleman on a park bench offers, “If she won’t take a nap, may I have it please?” Soon, “every single creature in the whole park had decided to take a nap”—even the lamppost pigeons are snoring. But with no one for her to “fuss, fume, scream, or shriek at,” Annalise’s lids grow heavy until she realizes that there are no naps left for her. Maybe a friendly cat has a nap to spare? It may take a few beats for Grabenstein’s (Shine!) idiomatic twist to sink in, but once it does, the idea that naps are opportunities to be eagerly seized is an amusing reframing. Espinosa (Islandborn), whose cheery, gently ironic drawing style may remind readers of Crockett Johnson’s, draws outdoor nappers of every stripe—from a bucket drummer snoozing on top of his instruments to a hairstylist and client enjoying 40 winks in the middle of a blow dry. Ages 3–7. [em](Feb.) [/em]