Good Night, Earth

Told from the perspective of a green alien family on a faraway planet, Bondestam’s endearing solo debut offers a peek into the fictional bedtime routines of animals from around the world. Young readers will learn the habits of familiar animals (Little Chimp needs his mother to play at least 73 songs on the ukulele) as well as less well-known creatures (the axolotl “reads his favorite book,” the cover of which matches this one). Offbeat humor permeates the text (“ ‘Jump into your beds,’/ Papa Kiwi hollers./ But no! He has to play flying raisins for hours”) and accompanies Bondestam’s quirky, multipatterned collage-style illustrations. The penultimate bedtime routine will resonate with parental readers, while the final spreads offer a last laugh for young ones. Ages 3–6. [em](Apr.) [/em]