PABLO CAN'T SLEEP

Can’t a guy get any rest?

Pablo is a tired rhino who wants some shut-eye, but he can’t get to sleep. His porcupine pal hugs him, and…well, a quill in his hide doesn’t induce sleepiness. Pablo seeks a soporific atmosphere near the pond. What he gets instead is a crowd of singing frogs. Will meditating in the forest help? Not if his tickling monkey pal has anything to say about it. Finally, the forest quiet prevails, and it looks like Pablo might fall asleep after all—until a malodorous friend arrives with foul-scented good-night wishes. That’s it! Pablo heads to the quiet desert, deciding it’s his last hope for a peaceful rest. Wouldn’t you know it? The silence and solitude remind him of his friends and all the fun they have together. Feeling lonely, Pablo returns to the forest, where his pals greet him warmly, helping him realize that good companionship solves his restless-night dilemma. This gentle but thin story, an import from Belgium and the Netherlands and translated from Dutch, reinforces the importance of friendship. But being surrounded by one’s bosom buddies at bedtime is perhaps not the message caregivers might wish their little ones to take to heart. The charming paper-collage illustrations are colorful, sweet, and atmospheric, conveying a good sense of settings and animals characters’ personalities. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8.3-by-22.8-inch double-page spreads viewed at 72.5% of actual size.)

A cozy-enough bedtime story—but nothing special.