I DON'T WANNA HIBERNATE!

Ouchchy takes a common parental issue—children who don’t want to go to sleep—and situates it in a groundhog burrow on the eve of winter.

Little Tess may not want to hibernate, but her yawning parents surely do. Before they can rest, though, they need to get Tess to bed. The usual get-kids-to-sleep methods are prominently featured—tucking the little one in, reading stories, offering warm beverages, singing lullabies. Tess uses familiar excuses—she’s not tired, her toys need her, there’s too much to do to sleep. In the end, her parents’ reverse psychology seems to do the trick: You stay up, Tess. We’re going to bed. Tess thoughtfully tucks Mommy and Daddy in before the inevitable yawns and heavy eyelids make an appearance, and she finally succumbs. But will Tess’ hibernation procrastination mean she’ll miss Groundhog Day? Parents and children alike will find their book counterparts thoroughly relatable. Cleverly, the rhyming verses can serve to either excite or soothe little listeners, depending on how they’re read aloud (and how much oomph adults put into the sound effects). Kaduji’s groundhogs are wonderfully expressive, with the O of a mouth, characters’ downturned eyebrows, and (premature) parental high-fives speaking volumes. The relative lack of background details keeps the focus on the family.

A good choice for reluctant sleepers and their tired parents—though if it backfires, don’t blame the creators.