LITTLE DRAGON

Two sibling dragons count down to bedtime.

There are just 10 minutes left until bedtime, and all of the other dragons fly home to their caves, ready to snuggle in for the night. But pink-hued Flicker and purple Flash are having too much fun. They don’t want to go to sleep yet. The two swoop and soar through the sky, racing each other and marveling at rainbows. When Flicker spies a lost dragon egg that has rolled down the mountain, returning home takes on a new sense of urgency as the siblings try to get the egg back before it hatches. References to time are woven into the text: “Three minutes to bed: the sky had grown dark, / but Flash lit their way / with a shower / of sparks.” A bright, lively cadence matches the two dragons’ high spirits and boundless energy. The two cut adorable figures, with large, round eyes and heads. Rescuing the egg shows a sense of responsibility and maturity that contrasts with the duo’s flighty bedtime avoidance (although that’s not to say they won’t do it again the next night). Endpaper maps of the Land of Nod highlight the many other creatures in this series who also excel at bedtime procrastination. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Sneaky counting practice mixed in with dragon fun.