How to Make a Bedtime

This book-length set of bedtime instructions is narrated in cozy verse and illustrated in loose, warmly lit acrylic paint, charcoal, and pastel spreads. “Oh, the first part is easy,/ and here’s how it goes...// sloshy-wash till you sparkle/ from tip-top to toes,” reads rhyming text as a kindly, lumbering bear who seems to stand in for a human caregiver sits smilingly next to a bathtub. (The bathing human child, portrayed with pale skin, sports a soap-bubble beard.) Dried off in a towel by big, careful paws, the child stands waiting to see what comes next. “But you can’t go to bed yet./ I think you know why”: pajamas must be donned, Teddy found, and a lullaby sung. After “a huggily hug,/ and a smoochily kiss,” readers see the heavy-lidded, tucked-in bedgoer. “Wait! Don’t shut those eyes!” There’s one final ingredient—one that features a visit to the bookshelf. McKinlay (Always Never Always) imbues the familiar routine with low-key, teasing suspense and inventive endearments, while Blair (When I’m Big) offers the fantasy of a caregiver whose furry snout, loving gaze, and warm, pajamaed bulk supply endless patience and ideal hugs. Ages up to 3. (Jan.)