THE BABY WHO STAYED AWAKE FOREVER

This infant is too busy for sleep!

A baby lies in a crib, seemingly asleep. Readers turn the page to discover that the little one is actually wide awake and ready to chat, climb, dance, jump, yell—everything but sleep. Mama, Papa, and Sister are not amused and try various remedies to get the overactive tot to slumber. Mama and Sister give Baby a binky (she hurls it back), Papa cuddles Baby (an alert Baby starts exploring the inside of Papa’s nose), and the whole family gathers for a comforting hug after Baby tumbles out of her crib. But she has no intention of sleeping. When at last it seems as though Baby has tired herself out, it turns out to be another ruse, to the dismay of her exhausted family; as the sun starts to rise, Baby is still going strong. Salsbury’s energetic, ebullient prose makes liberal use of exclamation points and enormous font size for effect, paired with a comic book–style layout (which alternates between vignettes, panels, and full-page spreads) to engage wiggly readers who will see themselves reflected in Baby’s nonstop antics. Parents might bemoan the lack of a perfect solution, though the reality will be a familiar one. This tale’s a logical choice for active toddler storytimes and to share before bedtimes that get endlessly delayed. Mama is tan-skinned; other family members are lighter-skinned.

Punchy, silly, and likely to be a favorite.