Timothy Smallbeast wants desperately to be strong. Every evening before bed he follows a routine to make himself superhero strong: fortified cookies and milk, exercises and strong-thought meditation. All that is hard on his favorite pajamas. Mom suggests new ones, but new ones wouldn’t be favorite ones. She mends his old pajamas and suddenly Timothy is superstrong. He puts his powers to good use with the help of his sock monkey, Monkey. They save an elephant lady, sailors, a princess and several others. Just before bedtime, Timothy helps a giant bear find the forest to hibernate. The bear accidentally falls asleep on Monkey and tears Timothy’s pajamas. His super strength gone, Timothy doesn’t know how to save Monkey. Good thing he has made plenty of new friends. Half of the team behind the surreal Adventures of a Nose (2002) has created an absolute winner. The comic-inspired thick-line illustrations are a perfect marriage of the sense of humor of Lauren Child’s Charlie and Lola and Kevin Henkes’s Lilly for toddler boys (and girls). (Picture book. 2-8)
