DO SHEEP COUNT SHEEP?

How do animals wind down before bed?

Using straightforward bits of information and quirky illustrations, this lively title describes the sleep habits of 11 animals. An opening spread of all the animals together sets a whimsical tone: A kangaroo wearing flip-flops suns itself on a mat; a seal and a flamingo argue over a pillow. Bartikova then devotes a spread to each of the animals. Short, factual sentences detail where each creature lives, as well as when and where it sleeps and for how long. These specifics are interspersed among humorous cartoon images of the heavily anthropomorphized animals. Many illustrations include cutaways. Jammie-clad gerbils nod off in their burrow, while their kin cavort in the desert setting above; seals read books and sip tropical drinks above the water, while others snooze below the surface. Some of the humor will go over youngsters’ heads, like a bat reading Freud. Though this Czech import includes the kind of information that children are interested in, it lacks sources or further references. The book also contains a few errors: Seals live in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, not just the Northern Hemisphere. An image of an ant with a feather on its head, carrying a quiver full of arrows, may raise eyebrows due to its flattening depiction of Native cultures.

Best shared one on one to help listeners distinguish between fact and fancy.