GOOD NIGHT PILLOW FIGHT

A boisterous romp through bedtime ensues as children resist going to sleep. Manic, apartment-dwelling kids—wilder than those of Cornell’s work with Jamie Lee Curtis—have an answer every time their parents try to coax them into bed: “Good night. / Pillow fight! / Kiss my cheek. / Hide and seek!” The brightly clad children explode off the pages as they holler and bounce upside down, their mouths sometimes taking up most of the page. Perhaps a story would do the trick? “Jack Sprat . . . / Not that! / Three Bears? / Who cares?” Some double pages show a clear view into all the apartment windows at once; on others, backgrounds disappear while the vibrant battle continues; two double spreads feature just forearms with fingers pointing. Cartoonishly exaggerated facial expressions and energetic rhymes forbid any hush-hush aura, but this may work perfectly for bedtime-resisters as well as group read-alouds. The end shows finally darkened windows but, delightfully, a child has the last (whispered) words. (Picture book. 2-5)