CLICK!

An industrious lamp in the shape of a bird fixes all things that go bump in the night.

At bedtime, a young boy yawns, tosses, and turns, then drifts off to blissful sleep. Soon, noises throughout the supposedly quiet house begin to sound, and the boy’s bedside lamp-bird can’t resist investigating. With a “tip, tap, click, click,” it springs down the hall on ostrichlike legs, its conical beak poised for action. How convenient that its torso contains a light bulb to illuminate the way! It hears “drip, drip, drop, drop” from the bathroom and dutifully cranks the bathtub faucet shut, much to the bath toys’ relief. More noises follow, including sneezes, creaks, flaps, and rustles, which means more things to fix. The sweetest fix of all comes when a stuffed animal becomes separated from his boy. In his first picture book as both writer and illustrator, Ebbeler (The Only Alex Addleston in All These Mountains, 2014, etc.) embeds simple, audible text sparingly within the illustrations, to the fullest effect. No two reads will be the same, as he leaves room for lively interpretations. Although the text-sounds aren’t unique, the lamp-bird is. Reminiscent of a vintage drinking-bird toy, this late-night fixer-upper will keep readers and listeners guessing whether it’s part pelican, ostrich, chicken, or something of their own creation.

An enjoyable bedtime story that demands to be heard.