FICTION

Outer Space Bedtime Race

by Robert L. SANDERS
illus. by Brian Won. 40p. Random. 2015. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780385386470.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 1—While children race to bed each night on Earth in familiar ways, aliens have their own rituals for falling asleep. In Outer Space Bedtime Race, readers are introduced to concepts about the solar system through a rhyming portrayal of bedtime across the galaxy. The text is a healthy mix of information and downright silliness: "The Mercury kids land rocket ships, then hurry to their nightly dips. They glide along on rocky paths to steamy crater bubble baths." The trip through outer space is fancifully depicted by Won with stellar graphic art. The illustrations capture details of each planet including rings, moons, and even volcanoes.
VERDICT Paired with the factoid sheet at the end of the book, this funny bedtime story will be a great companion to nonfiction books about outer space.
Reviewed by Megan Egbert, Meridian Library District, ID
Aliens from the seven other planets (plus "poor Pluto") are racing to bed in their own absurd alien ways, and sleepy little Earthlings should do the same, suggests the bouncy verse. The art is pitch-perfect, with round-bodied, googly-eyed aliens contrasting amusingly with beautifully illuminated, multicolored night skies. The text suggests soothing, silly dreams; and parents won't mind the tidbits of astronomy on the side.
, Feb 01, 2015

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