HELLO ANIMALS, HOW DO YOU SLEEP?

A brief introduction to some of the ways animals sleep.

The book starts off with the titular phrase, “Hello animals! How do you sleep?” On each double-page spread, two beautiful and realistic illustrations provide the answer. The text is spare: “Warm in the hay” (a calf and a foal); “Tucked in my tail” (a squirrel and a fox); “Cozy on cushions” (a dog and a cat); “Curled in nests” (a hedgehog and a gerbil); “Deep in dens” (a rabbit and a bear); and “Snuggled in straw” (two ducklings and a hen). The animals are not named, but most will be familiar to adult readers if not children. Author/illustrator Botman is from the Netherlands, and it shows in the choices of some of the animals illustrated, such as a hedgehog and a red squirrel, which are not native to North America. By keeping the text spare, Botman allows readers to focus on the illustrations, which are quite lovely. They appear to have been done with pastel crayons or some other smudgy medium, as they have a comforting, mottled look.

A charming and very simple introduction to animals and their sleeping habits for babies and toddlers.