THE BIGGEST BED IN THE WORLD

Overcrowding in the parental sack gets humorous treatment, if an unlikely ending, in this quest for a good night’s sleep. When Ben is just a baby, he is a welcome presence in bed with his mother and father, but babies grow. When Billy arrives, the father buys himself a bigger bed; when the twins arrive, he must make a larger bed himself, large enough for the triplets who come along shortly thereafter. The bed is so colossal, and its citizenry so vast, that it takes on a life of its own. The father commands the mob to disband, ordering them to sleep in a great tiered bunk-bed system he constructs, and gets a simple double for himself and his wife. Readers won’t be surprised when he can’t sleep until the gang returns, packed in like sardines. This good-hearted tribute strikes many familiar notes, as do the spray of feet and arms akimbo depicted by Langley. (Picture book. 3-6)