Chicken Bedtime is Really Early

*Starred Review* "From chickens to hamsters, from rabbits to sheep. Sooner or later we all need to sleep," begins this charming countdown to bedtime in a barnyard. At five o'clock, chicks take their baths and snuggle into their coop. At eight, "bun-dads and mommies . . . put their young rabbits in footy pajamies." Each hour brings bedtime for a new animal. At last, only the rowdy hamsters are still playing. Then morning comes, and the rooster rises, followed by all the other animals, including "YOU." Children will delight in recognizing the familiar sleepy-time routines in Perl's infectious, bouncing rhymes: the bunnies want the same story, even though "they've all heard it eighteen times before"; the fish "sons and daughters" all want "just one more glass of water." Bates' acrylic paintings--in rich hues, textures, and appealingly simplified shapes--capture the delicious chaos and tumble of toddler bedtime and cast the deep night, when everyone is asleep, as reassuring, safe, and peaceful. Cropped to varying sizes and nicely positioned with several images per page, the art will give children plenty to notice and point to. Together, the words and pictures make a clever, winning offering that soars above other all-too-common bedtime books. Gillian Engberg, ALA Booklist