There are probably not enough synonyms for “cute” to cover this survey of hypothetical smooches between animal parents and offspring—not that there's anything wrong with that. Paul (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Mañana, Iguana) notes that the book was inspired by a game she played with her youngest son, and her text exudes the affectionate silliness of a beloved bedtime ritual, complete with nonsense sounds (a parrot and chick's beak-to-beak buss is “klick-a-klack, klick-a-klack, klick-a-klack, kleek”). Walker (previously paired with Paul for <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Little Monkey Says Good Night) gets great emotional mileage from his rounded, stuffed toy–like shapes, velvety colors, and tiny dot eyes; the characters radiate unconditional love. There's a lot to go “Ahhhh” over (the lumpy posteriors of Papa Rhino and his calf are particularly endearing), but the most winning of the vignettes also serves as the book's running joke: the slo-mo kiss between a mama sloth and her cub. As they hang upside-down from a tree, in absolutely no hurry to part, their embrace is like the Energizer Bunny—it keeps going and going and going. Ages 3-6. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Apr.)

A follow-up to Paul and Walker's other bedtime tome, Little Monkey Says Good Night (2003), this book offers charming, fanciful visions of parents and children of various species preparing for sleep. The examples represent a variety of animals, from pythons and penguins to kangaroos and elephants, with each species accompanied by a rhyme that seems crafted for reading aloud: "Walrus calf and her papa would make whiskery swishes, / rubbing each other in scritch-scratchy kisses." Paul takes well-known characteristics of each animal and pushes them to wonderfully silly extremes. The sloths, for example, which appear in various spreads throughout the book, are summed up on the last page: "But Sloth and her cub? Still . . . kissing good night!" Likewise, Walker has fun with anthropomorphism. His animals smile widely en if they are upside down or underwater d each parent has only one child to handle. Using soft color, Walker renders the nighttime rituals inventively, across pages and around panels, making this gentle book a satisfying bedtime selection.

Paul's latest bedtime book proves satisfyingly soporific. <p>Paul's latest bedtime book proves satisfyingly soporific. In gentle rhymes, she imagines how the real versions of a bedroom menagerie might kiss goodnight: "Peacock and chick / would spin a fan dance / and kiss with a kickity / high-stepping prance." Python kisses involve twisting around, while seal kisses are underwater affairs with much bubble accompaniment. Sloth and her cub make several appearances, as their slow goodnight kiss lasts longer than anyone else's. While a family triad appears only once, both moms and dads dole out the smooches. Throughout, readers are introduced to the terms for animal babies and to the distinctive physical features that are the hallmark of each creature. Walker's adorable, soft-hued animals populate simply drawn habitats with the bare minimum of detail--perfect for capturing the attention of the littlest listeners. The imaginative possibilities alone make this one stand out from the glut of sickly sweet bedtime books. Sure to send readers off to a gentle goodnight . . . after a kiss, of course. <i>(Picture book. 2-6)</i></p>

PreS Lively rhythm, effective sound words, and an eclectic collection of toddler-pleasing animals all combine to create a charming bedtime book. As a child and her mother begin their evening ritual, they wonder about how different animals say good night. Soon parent and baby pairs are hanging or skittering or bathing or howling and growling their nighttime wishes. The vocabulary will enhance the read-aloud experience, e.g., "Mama Penguin and chick would stumble and slide/on slippery rocks in a hug-and-kiss ride." Soon, however, all are "tucked in tight" with the toddler surrounded by the small stuffed versions of the featured animalsall except slow Sloth and her cub. They began kissing on the first spread, and on the last page, they are "stillkissing good night!" It's an ending that's sure to elicit giggles from young listeners. The layout of the art and text adds to the fun as many of the characteristics and action words swirl across the page or pile up on top of each other. Illustrations, done in soft watercolors, range from full-page bleeds to small ovals and feature characters that swing or prance across the white space. The book is similar in approach to Claire Freedman's Snuggle Up, Sleepy Ones (Good Bks., 2005) but it has more humor. It should find a place in most collections even if they already have Freedman's book or Dawn Apperley's Good Night, Sleep Tight, Little Bunnies (Scholastic, 2002). Jane Marino, Bronxville Public Library, NY