SLEEPOVER DUCK!

Duck is ready for adventure, and Cat is willing to join in the fun.

Exuberance and over-the-top enthusiasm are Duck’s forte, and the little bird’s excitement reaches new heights at a sleepover with Cat. Duck is ready for a jamboree, while Cat is much more laid back and mellow. Cat tries to lull Duck into a restful sleep, but the little one is wired. They hear another creature ready to party, calling “Woo-hoooo!” The two friends search the barn, encountering cows, horses, sheep, and pigs in various stages of slumber. It is little Owlette who is the source of the hoots. Owlette has been playing hide-and-seek with them, greatly enjoying the party night. (Children will easily spot the mysterious guest and will enjoy being steps ahead of Cat and Duck.) Now they are all tuckered out and ready to sleep. Cat and Duck are as delightful as ever in this third outing in the series (Hey Duck!, 2013; Just a Duck, 2015). The interspecies friends, gender unspecified, are thoroughly happy in each other’s company. The tale is told in brief, simply rhymed sentences, with a different typeface for each creature’s part in the conversations. Bramsen’s meticulously drawn illustrations are remarkably tactile and textured. The characters’ expressive facial expressions and body language perfectly enhance the action. There is a pleasing variety of single- and double-page spreads, panels, and vignettes, all in bright, colorful array.

Little readers will feel the warmth of these loving, endearing friends.