Bedtime for Albie

PreS-K–Busy little warthog Albie seems to be the only youngster on the savanna who doesn’t want the day to end. “Sniffling and snuffling,” he pointedly ignores his mother’s call and the changing light that signals a sinking sun. “Skippety trot trit trot,” he quickly leaves. “I don’t want to go to bed yet,” he says and dashes off through swishy grass to find friends. The cheetah family pauses their bedtime story as he greets them, the elephants are happily in the midst of their nightly showers, and meerkats sleepily respond, but Albie still refuses to return before “rustlings and scratchings” of the approaching night remind him that he is alone and away from home. Illustrations in watercolor and pencil feature animal species commonly found in the grasslands of southern Africa in anthropomorphic activities. Albie’s widened cartoon eyes express his delight in freedom before others guide him back to his own family at bedtime. A suggested general purchase for libraries, this title emphasizes simple, loving relationships and daily routines in family life.