Time to Sleep, Sheep the Sheep! (Cat the Cat)

PreS-Gr 1—nstead of the expected bemoaning of an often-dreaded activity, Cat's friends are amenable and already in the process of getting to bed. Each spread shows her announcing, "Time to sleep," which is followed by a character's name. Cat's pals all appear midway through a familiar step in the process. Sheep is reading, Pig is in the tub, Giraffe is brushing her teeth, Crab is getting a glass of water, Horse is on the toilet, and Shark is choosing a stuffed toy. Only Owl is not ready to go to bed, and young readers will delight in letting everyone know why. As the animals drift off, Owl is left on a perch, watching over them. The real magic of this title is in Willems's illustrations. The spread with Cat and Horse in the bathroom has Cat with a pink blush on her cheeks, toes pointed inward with her right foot stacked on top of her left, and her tail is in a knot. The message of embarrassment is simple and clear. On the spread with Shark, piled among the stuffed animals is Pigeon. These are the details that children will relish and will lead them to invest in the characters and in the series.—"Stacy Dillon, LREI, New York City" Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Praise for CAT THE CAT series: "These perfect read-aloud books use early learning concepts in a way that will delight young children and keep them laughing."——Julie Aigner Clark, creator of Baby Einstein