Kirkus
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Lilting cadences greet the end of day as creatures big and small bed down for the night. In a world on the cusp of sleep, a tan-skinned child questions a variety of animals: “Where do you go? / Where do you go / when the sun goes down?” Each answers with the same rhythmic sequence. The fish declares, “I go to the deep. / The dark, cool deep / is where I sleep. / I go to the deep / when the sun goes down.” The ant responds, “I go underground. / Down in the dirt, / down / down / down. I go underground / when the sun goes down.” Each page shows the smiling speaker in their place of rest. Pizzoli changes the order of the rhymes ever so slightly in the final section as he asks the protagonist—and, by extension, readers—that same question. The reply? “You go to bed. / You go to your bed / and sleep safe and sound. / You go to your bed / when the sun goes down.” The text is perfectly pitched to younger readers, its seeming simplicity beautifully designed for a read-aloud sure to lull little ones to sleep. The accompanying art, screen-printed by hand and collaged, has a tactile feel. The result evokes titles by old-school picture-book creators like Margaret Wise Brown and Eric Carle. Sleepytime gets an assist thanks to a book with all the markings of a contemporary bedtime classic.(Picture book. 2-4) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.