Help Wanted, Must Love Books

Shailey, a brown-skinned girl who sports a pink bandanna, adores bedtime because her dad reads to her every night. But when he gets a new job, his work-life balance suffers, and the child fires him from his position as bedtime storyteller. Selecting a replacement from the applicant pool proves challenging, however, when none of the fairy tale interviewees (Snow White and Cinderella among them) can get the job done just right. Warm digital illustrations highlight Shailey’s plight, and the job posting, which Shailey updates after each failed round of interviews, provides a colorful recurrent motif. Professional diction throughout—such as “individual applicants” and “impressive résumé”—and a message about screen time seem more geared toward adult caretakers than young kids, but the look at distractions readers face in a constantly moving digital world will likely prove resonant with adults and children alike. Ages 4–7. [em](Mar.) [/em]