SLEEPY SNUGGLES

Nothing’s so soothing at bedtime as a tender parental snuggle.

On each successive page, a different animal parent—a bunny, a bear, a bee, a hen, a sheep, a pig, a duck, a fish, a frog, a robin, and, at last, a human—tucks a precious babe in and tenderly kisses the little one. Expressing themselves in gentle, lilting verse with the cadence of a soft lullaby, these parents wish their babies a loving good night. Each spread begins with the word snuggle: “Snuggle-duckling, snuggle-duckling, / not another quack!” Youngsters listening to these soothing words will not only be lulled into peaceful slumbers themselves, but will also glean some easy science lessons as the animal parents describe their children’s physical characteristics. The bear mentions its youngster’s “tiny claws,” the hen points out her chick’s “pointy beak,” and the duck refers to the duckling’s “downy back.” Each parent also identifies its little one’s bedding. The little bunny gets tucked into a bed of “garden leaves,” the bee in a “golden hive,” and the sheep in a “grassy field.” Rendered in a warm palette, Santoso’s illustrations, created digitally and with handmade textures, are as plush and comforting as the downy blanket enfolding the human “snuggle-baby” in the final spread. (It’s no coincidence that the cuddly infant is surrounded by stuffed toy versions of the animals in the story.) Human characters present white.

Make this irresistibly snuggly book a part of your nightly bedtime ritual.