TIME FOR BED, BABY TED

This story opens with Dad finishing an animal book, which should signal baby Ted to go to bed. But Ted has other plans and begins an elaborate (and quite lengthy) game in which he acts like a creature and asks his dad to “[t]ry and guess what I am instead.” Sartell keeps the structured, rhyming text predictable and satisfying for young ears. Each sound or action by Ted is ultimately featured in bright red capital letters. Whether it’s shared at bedtime or during storytime, kids will find many places to chime in or participate. As one animal-inspired antic leads to the next, Ted gets closer to bed. Chorao’s vibrant watercolor-and–colored pencil illustrations feature swirling ribbon-like frames and squiggles that highlight Ted’s various animal interpretations and emphasize his boundless energy as he stalls for bedtime. From crocs to bats to porcupines, smiling Dad marvels at how Ted finally got himself “very quietly, very, very carefully tucked…into bed”—right! Should be a guaranteed hit with young preschoolers and their parents. (Picture book. 2-4)