Bedtime 123

September 11, 2017
As night falls on a farm, baby animals get ready to sleep. Working up to 10, Walters (An African Alphabet) counts them in soft prose that uses an array of soporific synonyms to get readers in the mood for settling down: “Seven kittens nestle into their basket. Eight chicks cuddle close in their nest.” Bisaillon (The Snow Knows) uses pencils, watercolors, pastels, and other media to create lovely, gently textured collages. The closely clustered animals aren’t always the easiest to count, perhaps, but it hardly matters: the images exude an almost palpable sense of security and comfort. Up to age 3. Author’s agent: Marie Campbell, Transatlantic Literary. Illustrator’s agency: Morgan Gaynin.