Awake, Asleep
by Kyle Lukoff; illus. by Nadia Alam
Preschool, Primary    Orchard/Scholastic    32 pp.
5/23    9781338776218    $18.99
e-book ed.  9781338883565    $18.99

Four children from three neighboring households wake up and spend an amiable day together with their families. Patterned phrases suggest action and make for a buoyant read-aloud, particularly for the youngest listeners: “A kiss, a blink, a dawn, / a break. / A yawn, a peep, a stretch, / awake!” Colorful digitally painted illustrations add to the narrative and build a world of realistic and beautiful variety. We see what appears to be a single mom, two dads, a multigenerational household, someone who’s pregnant, a burly tattooed and bearded person wearing pink sneaks (to match their child’s!), and a mix of races and ethnicities among the adults and kids. Genders and relationships are all open to interpretation, and most children will see something that reflects their own experience as the families go for a walk, play at the playground, go home, and wind down to bedtime after a busy, happy day. Spot images focus on moments—snuggling the cat, watching a spider, reaching out a hand, crying over boo-boos, changing the baby (“a sniff, a stink, a change”). The whole is warm and affirming, full of life and love. When it comes time for “a kiss, a blink, a night,” the children in the story may go to sleep, but the child beside you may insist on a second reading.

From the July/August 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.