Steve Jenkins and Robin Page combine brightly colored and softly rendered illustrations with chunks of nonfiction that entertain and educate in time to SLEEP (2011). The small size of the book (8" x 8") could feel comfy in little hands. The sleeping giraffe on the cover looks awkward yet content, creating a paradox of tension and peace. Since every child must sleep, the topic is relevant, especially for children who read before bedtime. This book was more informative than I expected. Each creature has one or two sentences of factual text. There are three pages of additional material at the back of the book--sort of like a mini encyclopedia. As contrast, there's brief commentary in bold fond for each creature that keeps the book from becoming boring. For example, the comment accompanying a row of birds, bee-eaters lined up to sleep, is "Scoot over, please." Yes, this is yet another book about sleep, but Jenkins and Page have turned it into a pleasant prelude to the legion of nonfiction children will be required to read in school.
SLEducation has The Importance of Sleep - Maze Craze Game! Alyssa Grubbs has Where do pets sleep? arprekteach has Are You Sleeping Little Bear.
