AWAKE, ASLEEP

From dawn to bedtime, loving glimpses of children living through an ordinary day.

Writing almost entirely in rhyming, sonorous sequences of simple nouns, Lukoff begins with sunrise—“A kiss, a blink, a dawn, / a break. // A yawn, / a peep, / a stretch, / awake!”—and goes on to caption cozy digital paintings of three young suburban child neighbors stirring out of bed, dressing and eating, walking out with parents to a playground…then at day’s end coming back home for a bath, a meal, a book, and finally bed. Realistically, the outing has its emotional downs as well as ups, as a broken toy and other mishaps lead to “a lap” for one child, “a nap” for another, and, following a tantrum, a calming bath for a third. Alam depicts a cast diverse of age, race, and family composition, including among the last a child and a baby sibling with two male-presenting parents (brown skinned, in different shades) and a live-in elder. From first light to moonlit final scene, each moment of this domestic round glows with feelings of warmth and safety. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Soothing, familiar, and perfect for reading at bedtime—or any other time.