Forty Winks

Starred review from August 2, 2021
For the Winks, a family of 40 mice—two parents and 38 kids, each one named by DiPucchio (Not Yeti)—bedtime is adorably unwieldy. Their routine, conveyed in rollicking verse, doesn’t vary: “The loud, hungry pack was served up a snack/ of cider and crumb cakes and cheese,” before every mouse gets a scrub, dons pajamas, and brushes their teeth. Finally, “they were each read a book (what a long time that took!)” by the big stone fireplace—in one of Judge’s (The Wisdom of Trees) more inviting pencil and watercolor scenes, mice cover every inch of the floor and furniture, hanging on Mama’s every word. Finally, the mouselings are corralled and tucked into a fanciful panoply of beds, including a circus tent bed as well as airplane and balloon beds suspended from the ceiling. Do the grown-ups lose their temper when one thirsty little child sets off a 38-mouse run to the sink? Papa does say “Oh dear!” but the two adults are otherwise the very picture of parental equanimity. At book’s end, readers are invited to name all the little mice—but if they can’t recall who is who, it’s no matter; the book’s plentiful pleasure comes from being in the presence of a wonderfully rendered family that lives and loves large. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

November 1, 2021
Preschool-Grade 1 From the author of Poe Won't Go (2018) and Not Yeti (2021) comes a sweet new picture-book adventure. It stars a very large family of mice--38 youngsters and 2 parents--and their lively bedtime routine. After being introduced to all the mice by name, readers watch as the exhausted mother and father try to wrangle their little ones for bed. Some of the youngsters listen, some are getting cranky, and some just have plans of their own. Judge lends whimsical pencil-and-watercolor illustrations to the tale, depicting a nighttime regimen that many kids will recognize. Bath time and getting into pajamas are followed by brushing mousy teeth at a tiny porcelain sink. Storytime is next, with accompanying pleas for "One more?" Finally, it is time to settle into bed, which for some is a bunk bed, others a bassinet or hanging balloon basket. An entertaining book for any little sleeper and the valiant caregivers who undertake the nightly chaos that is bedtime.

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Starred review from September 1, 2021
You thought your family's bedtime rituals were complicated! Meet Mama and Papa Wink--and their 38 young mouselings. The elder Winks share parental duties. First, they rustle up a bedtime snack. "Some sipped and some slurped, / some gobbled and burped, / while others said 'thank you' and 'please.' " Bathtime and "snug-fuzzy flannels and caps" come next, then "every small Wink scamper[s] off to the sink, / brushing and flossing in pairs." The text relates that "they were each read a book (what a long time that took!)." It takes so long that Mama reads " 'til she snooze[s] a wee snore." After prayers, "some curled with blankies / (a few had the crankies), / but each babe was tucked in just right." Until...Moe squeaks for a drink, and then, of course, all 38 need one last cup of water. Finally, in a series of illustrations of adorable, snuggling mice abed, the 40 Winks sleep, and sleep, and sleep until "It's time to start over again!" With the soothing rhythm of an old-time nursery rhyme, alliteration, and end and internal rhymes, this makes for a fun read-aloud. Detailed illustrations capture the energy of this busy family, and clothing choices, postures, and expressive faces make each of the 40 Winks distinctive--so much so that, on the last spread, the challenge to name each unlabeled Wink is achievable. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A fun twist of a familiar phrase and a delightful new bedtime tale. (Picture book. 3-6)

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