Sleep Tight, Anna Banana!

Anna Banana lies in bed reading a book, her stuffed-animal friends cozily arranged around her. However, a page turn reveals the toys aren't happy: "Anna Banana! We're sleepy!" Eventually she's ready to sleep, but her disgruntled and exhausted roommates have been pushed too far. Roques's hand-lettered speech-bubble text moves briskly along, and Dormal's cheery cartoon illustrations are full of expression.

In a peaceful-looking opening scene, Anna Banana, a little girl with a thick mane of yellow hair, lies in bed reading a book. Her stuffed-animal friends are cozily arranged around her pillow, just so. However, a page turn reveals that the toys aren't happy: "Anna Banana! We're sleepy!" They attempt various protests (escaping/singing a lullaby/turning the light off), but unsympathetic Anna isn't having any of it. She barely stops reading to grab, muffle, and restrain all six of her friends. "Anna likes to have ALL her stuffed animals around her." Eventually she's ready to sleep, but her disgruntled and exhausted roommates have been pushed too far. Once the light is turned off--it's on. The animals put on a midnight concert; they jump on the bed; they race one another across the room. Anna is furious--and oblivious to the irony: "I WANT TO SLEEP!" she yells. The cheery cartoon illustrations are full of expression, and Dormal's loose style calls to mind Arthur Howard's. Roques's hand-lettered speech-bubble text moves briskly along, commenting on the action and providing the characters and the art with much comedic fodder. kitty flynn