Furry Friends Find Fun And Family

They are the ultimate companions.  Their distinctive personalities provide us with constant comfort and laughter.  Truthfully, without them our worlds would be incomplete.  They make us wholly human.

For this reason, let us look at three publications in the last five months with feline or canine characters.  In the first title, Joy (Candlewick Press, June 6, 2020) written by Yasmeen Ismail with illustrations by Jenni Desmond, a kitten shows us how to release merriment with total abandon.  You'll be ready to join this frisky feline in mere seconds.

Oh, boy! Oh, boy!

My favorite toy.

I feel joy!

A red ball of yarn caught in the paws of this mischief maker fashions a red tangled trail, until another object gets the scamp's attention.  A blue ball bounces across a room, over its other animal occupants, with the kitten close to it.  Momentarily pausing for an affectionate cuddle with a cat parent, the kitten, along with the ball, is off and running into a nearby lamp.

Kitten and ball go, go, go, until stopped by colliding into the large resident dog.  Several unplanned moves later, some due to the rambunctious dog, finds the youngster outside.  Down, down, down the steps of the porch, the little furry one boings and bounces.

This does not feel good.  This hurts.  The kitten wants its mom or dad.  In a quick minute, a parent is there, offering the necessary care.  Back inside they go, to curl up together in their bed.  Wait!  Oh, no . . . off the kitten goes.

Whether read silently or aloud the words by author Yasmeen Ismail will send your soul dancing with their rhyming, alliteration, and onomatopoeia.  Each carefully chosen word mirrors the antics of the kitten and her current favorite toy.  In addition to the tale of happiness the sentences tell, readers will be reassured by the gestures and care given by the parent to the kitten.  Here is a passage.

Shake,

rattle,

and

ROLL,

this happy soul! 

When you open the matching dust jacket and book case, you are introduced to the story's characters, and the use of full color on white which is prevalent throughout the book.  The kitten, beginning her dance of glee on the front is varnished along with the yarn and title text.  To the left, on the back, the adult cat holds the kitten close in their red, green, and blue plaid bed.  A single curled string of red yarn is on the floor to the left of and behind the bed. 

On the opening and closing endpapers done in the bright red shown on the jacket and case is a tangle of white yarn strung across both pages and coming to rest as a white ball of yarn in the lower, right-hand corner.  On the dedication, verso, and title pages we see a sleeping adult in the bed on the left.  Bouncing dashes indicate the jumping of the kitten that has left the bed to begin the chase with the red ball of yarn.

Illustrator Jenni Desmond using

mixed media

depicts all the elation this kitten feels and displays.  Her images span two pages, portions of single pages, or are grouped together on a single page to portray movement and passage of time.  Cleverly placed dashes indicate the movement of the kitten and its current favorite toy.  At times, the words follow the same path as the dashes.  The facial expressions on the animal characters, especially the kitten, convey their every mood.  The perspective is usually one of observer in the room, but several times to place dramatic emphasis on a point in the narrative, we move close to the kitten.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  Across the bottom on a canvas of crisp white the lamp has fallen and is bent from left to right with the shade resting in the lower, right-hand corner.  Above the lamp in a series of loop-de-loops made by the dashes, the words on top, the kitten and blue ball travel.  Above the lamp and shade on the right, the kitten mid flip, is grinning in absolute satisfaction.

If you want to make your heart happy, experiencing the energy of that happiness, then this book is for you.  Joy by Yasmeen Ismail with illustrations by Jenni Desmond is a read aloud delight on every page.  I highly recommend this title for a storytime focusing on pets, playfulness, and to present how word play can create a mood or a moment.  You'll want to add this book to your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Yasmeen Ismail and Jenni Desmond and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Yasmeen Ismail has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Jenni Desmond has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view an interior image.  At Penguin Random House you can view other portions of the book.

It's not often a dog is categorized as a foodie.  Oh, we know how amazing it is that they can distinguish between the fruit, vegetable, and cheese drawer in the refrigerator.  When the cheese drawer is opened, they appear next to you, seated and ready for a treat, with the speed of light.  Their ability to distinguish one from the other is the stuff of legend.  They do love certain foods over other delicious delights.

In her debut picture book as author and illustrator Alexandra Thompson explores food, and the delectable life of a French Bulldog.  In A Family For Louie (Putnam, G. P. Putnam's Sons, June 6, 2020), we follow this canine foodie whose life is almost perfect, except for one thing.  He knows magical moments are better when shared.

Louie considered himself a

dog of very fine tastes.

He knew every chef in town.

He enjoyed the best restaurants and their finest fare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  He never missed dessert.  In a park fountain he bathed before retiring in the evening with a book and a cup of hot cocoa.  As far as Louie was concerned this life of his was as heavenly as a gourmet meal.

Louie did notice other dogs sharing their days with humans.  Louie decided it might be nice to have a family.  What he did not expect was how hard it was to find a family.  One had terrible food choices, and another one had . . . horror of horrors . . . a cat!

As the sun dropped beneath the horizon, Louie's spirits dropped too.  Maybe there was no family for him.  Louie wandered from the park to the town.  What was this?  A new bakery?

Outside the bakery was a little girl Louie did not recognize.  She was friendly.  Louie was uncharacteristically shy.  It seemed that a cupcake could win the heart of a very particular French Bulldog.

When the story begins author Alexandra Thompson paints an endearing picture of Louie with her words.  We immediately identify with the life he has made for himself.  This seemly perfect life is an ideal segue into what Louie needs most.  Humor plays an important part in his attempts to find a family leading us into a gentle, welcome resolution.  Here is a passage.

The next day, Louie saw

a family having a picnic

at the beach.

He thought he might ask to join them,

but when Louie approached . . .

they were eating Jell-O salad

and sardine sandwiches!

These digitally designed illustrations by illustrator Alexandra Thompson convey with detailed charm Louie, his love of food, and his search for a fuller life.  In looking at the open dust jacket readers get a glimpse on the front, right, and back, left, of what that life can be for Louie.  On the front he is looking into the new bakery window with the little girl and her mother as silhouettes.  The title appears as though it is the name of the bakery.  The framing on the window is framing his new beginning.  

To the left, on the back, is a circular, decorative frame around a picture of Louie and the little girl.  They are both holding cupcakes with the cherry on top already consumed.  There is sheer contentment on their faces.  The words above them read:

Life is sweeter

when shared with friends.

The book case is a double page image of a country scene.  The background is a pale blue sky with pink light and clouds.  To the right of the spine on a hillside with meadow flowers, Louie, the little girl, and her mother are seated beneath a tree having a picnic. 

The opening and closing endpapers tell a tale too.  They represent Louie's life before and after he meets his new family.  It's a scene in the city featuring a single arched window in a wall with lanterns on either side.  

Each visual is either a double-page picture, a group of smaller images, or a single-page illustration.  Due to the technique employed by Alexandra Thompson, your eyes are immediately drawn to Louie in each one.  His distinctive facial expressions and body postures depict his every mood.  You'll find yourself falling in love with this little dog.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a full-page picture.  It's nighttime in the town.  In the background stars glow in the sky as lights shine in building windows.  Two trees on the left side of the park stand in dark dusky purple silhouette.  On the right side is a large tree with roots extending across the entire page.  Beneath those roots Louie has carved out a space for himself.  We see it in a cutaway.  The sight of him reading, snuggled in a blanket with his cup of hot cocoa, is precious.

Readers will become attached to the character in this story who is looking for a family.  A Family For Louie written and illustrated by Alexandra Thompson is about finding the most valuable piece missing from the puzzle that is your life.  I know this book will be a favorite for storytimes.  Give your listeners their favorite stuffed toy dog to hold when you share this book with them.  You'll want to add this to your professional and personal collections and gift it to dog lovers you know.

To learn more about Alexandra Thompson and her other work, follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  She has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.  Alexandra Thompson is a guest at author Katelyn Aronson's site.  At the publisher's website you can view the opening endpapers.  I believe you'll enjoy the reading of this book by its creator.

Sometimes our furry friends' personalities take zeal to an over-the-top level.  They see the world around them in an entirely different light than those with whom they share it.  It is this contrast which generates roll-on-the-floor hilarity.

There is a new cat in town who fits this description with excellence.  No Fuzzball! (Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., August 4, 2020) written and illustrated by Isabella Kung is a debut release certain to leave a lasting impression long after the final word is read.  Get ready readers for a riotous read on the wild side.

Hello, I am

NOFuzzball.

Perhaps you have never heard a name like this before,

but that is because you have not met

a queen like me.

This cat believes she is a queen because her humans, her subjects, scream at her, calling her name throughout the house.  She is certain they honor her every request when they are really going about their day. When she sees a packed suitcase, she is certain it is a present for her.

Her family is not happy she decides it is a new bed.  Tending to her ruffled fur after being lifted out of the suitcase, she is unaware they have left the house.  She is shocked at this discovery.  How could this happen?!

She muses about their possible reasons for leaving.  She is thrilled they took the dog, 

that disgusting slobbering mess.

Now she can nap in peace.

She is surprised to find them still absent after her nap, so she starts to roam around the house, worrying about possible scenarios in which they are hurt or kidnapped. In order to dispel these fears, she is determined to be a different kind of ruler.  She does her queenliest best as a cat of cats to spruce up the house.  Will they love what she has done to the place (palace)?  What do you think?

Told in the words of her queenship, humor is replete on every page. The authenticity of No Fuzzball's remarks, her point of view, is purr-fect.  As you read this story, it is hard not to think of author Isabella Kung as a cat whisperer.  Here is a passage.

A queen cannot tolerate such disrespect!

I demand a formal apology . . .

Wait, they left?

How dare they

forget their place?!

What has gotten into them?

There is no doubt in your mind when looking at the open book case, this cat is a bundle of energy, somewhat out of control to her humans, but having the time of her life.  She is a maker of messes.  A destroyer of calm.  And she will always cause you to giggle and grin.  The yellow ribbons on the right, front, cross over the spine to wind around, framing a collection of cat toys on the left, back.  In the center are sentences from the start of the narrative.  In a stroke of genius, a smaller No Fuzzball is casually leaning on the ISBN.

On the opening and closing endpapers readers are treated to the many moods of No Fuzzball.  The 15 images on the first set of endpapers are placed on a white canvas with red as an accent color.  The second set of 15 visuals with blue as the extra hue are also on a white background.  Here is also information about Isabella Kung.

On the verso and title pages it appears as though torn lavender paper reveals orange paper under it.  On the title page No Fuzzball is ripping the paper to reveal the No in the title.  She is at her catastrophic best.

These illustrations by illustrator Isabella Kung span two pages, single pages, or several smaller visuals are grouped on a single page.  No Fuzzball's fur is textured to the point you feel as though you might want to touch it, but you won't because this is No Fuzzball.  Shades of purple and red lend themselves to special marked moments.  It's the looks on the face of No Fuzzball and her subjects which will have you bursting into laughter.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  It's when No Fuzzball is taking a nap.  Four lighted shapes of the sun shining through a window move from left to right, two on either side of the gutter.  These shapes are outlined in a golden orange color.  They are placed on a wooden floor in a muted purple.  No Fuzzball moves around in different positions which are typical but also comedic.

If you are looking for loads of fun and funny, No Fuzzball written and illustrated by Isabella Kung, her debut release, is a claw-some selection.  The constant comparison between the cat's beliefs and reality provide readers with a true page-turner.  You'll be asked to read it repeatedly.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional bookshelves.

To learn more about Isabella Kung, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Isabella Kung has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Isabella Kung is a guest on Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb, The Soaring '20s and at Jena Benton Writer & Illustrator.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  Isabella Kung was part of a Scholastic Book Fair Book Joy Live event hosted by Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher.  Please take a few moments to enjoy these two videos.

Astonishing Holiday Event

As educators we are in the unique position, depending on the time spent in a given school district, to teach and learn with brothers and sisters from the same family.  It is equally wonderful to see how alike or different they may be.  Sometimes a particular behavior will have you inwardly nodding at the similarities between siblings.  They are like two peas in the proverbial pod.  There are other times when you find it utterly impossible to believe they have been born and raised in the same household.

Truth be told, the longer you know them the more you can see their particular personality traits shine.  Christmas for Greta and Gracie (Nosy Crow, an imprint of Candlewick Press, September 27, 2016) written and illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail introduces to readers two sisters more different than alike.  Their story cheerfully points out the value of being exactly who you are.  Everyone might be unexpectedly surprised.

I like minty
toothpaste.
Strawberry is
for babies.
Did you know
that Santa Claus
eats marshmallows
for breakfast?

Their day is just beginning and already older sister Greta is chatting up a storm as Gracie quietly listens.  There were some things they do the same like their

hoppity-skip walk.

For the most part Greta talks and Gracie usually remains silent.  This is acceptable to Gracie...usually.

The sisters are busy coloring in their Santa book on Christmas Eve.  Greta has five colors and Gracie has the brown crayon.  For every ten sentences proclaimed by Greta, Gracie eagerly asks a single question?

Do you think
Santa
has a bike?

Greta insists Santa's boots are black not brown before declaring coloring to be boring but what is Gracie to do?  She only has one color.

The two wrap up in their winter clothing and go outside to help decorate the community tree.  In typical fashion Greta states facts true to her (the number of elves at the North Pole) and insists on putting the star at the top of the tree.  Gracie is too little. When they go shopping and ice skating Greta insists on taking charge to get a clerk's attention and instructing her younger sister on the finer points of skating.  Gracie is too this and too that.  She is the opposite of Greta.

That night as Greta snores in the bed next to her bed, Gracie hears an out-of-the-ordinary noise.  What it that?  Using those qualities Greta found to be less than stellar, she makes her way downstairs.  Christmas Eve and the following morning could not be more astonishing for both Gracie and Greta.


Yasmeen Ismail depicts with utter delight the two contrasting personalities of Greta and Gracie.  When Greta is speaking you can feel the speed at which she addresses life and Gracie as her thoughts run into one another spilling out with speed.  When Gracie talks her responses are more thoughtful. The blend of narrative and dialogue creates an excellent ebb and flow.  Here is a portion of Greta's response and Gracie's single sentence when the store clerk asks Gracie what she thinks Santa is like.

Oh! Santa is just WONDERFUL!
He is the best and nicest man, and he has a sleigh and reindeer, and he gives presents to good little girls and boys, and he has a HAT and a red coat and a big white bushy beard, and he eats COOKIES.

He is magic.


When you open the matching dust jacket and book case you have to smile at the scene of Greta and Gracie skating with five other children enjoying the ice on the back to the left.  This scene sets the stage for the season as Greta shouts out the title. The bright color palette here is used throughout the title.  Silver foil has been placed on the title text, snowflakes and skate lines as well as on the spine.  Suggestive of a rich and varied citizenry all kinds of animals appear here and in the pages of this book.

The opening and closing endpapers are a vibrant red with wide white lines portraying the branches of a Christmas tree hung with ornaments. The center goes down the middle with the boughs reaching out to the sides. On the first and last red page a smiling, shining white star takes center stage.  Ismail begins her story on the page prior to the two page illustration which includes the publication information, dedication and title pages.  In these images we see the two sisters getting ready to start their day.

Rendered digitally the pictures all span two pages.  White provides a canvas for all of them except for the illustrations when Gracie is going downstairs on Christmas Eve night.  When Greta speaks her words are in a pink speech balloon.  For Gracie a bright yellow is used.  To supply pacing the perspective is altered bringing us close to the girls or giving us a larger view as the story dictates.  Their facial expressions and body movements are highly animated.

One of my favorite illustrations is when they are decorating the community tree. The placement of the tree is at the center in the gutter.  On either side all kinds of animal children garbed in winter clothing are selecting and hanging ornaments from boxes.  Two of the children are having a snowball fight. One animal is mostly inside a box searching.  An adult supervises off to the left side.  You can feel the excitement in the air.


Christmas for Greta and Gracie written and illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail is a welcome addition to holiday titles. Not only is the joy of the season captured perfectly but readers come to understand that all traits and talents have value. I know you will be asked to read this over and over again.  Make sure you have this title on your professional and personal bookshelves.

To discover more about Yasmeen Ismail and her other work please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  You can view different interior images by visiting the two publisher websites here and here.  Yasmeen Ismail is featured at om pom happy.  You might enjoy other posts at this site about her work, Time for Bed, Fred!, and One Word from Sophia.

Persuasion With A Purpose

Over the course of the last three hundred, sixty-five days your excitement has become enormous.  You've hoped.  You've dropped hints discreetly and not so discreetly.  The Happy Birthday Song has been sung.  The candles on the cake have been blown out and a wish was made again.  Now it's time for presents.  Will it be there?

This scenario is played out more times every day of the year than can be counted.  A determined little girl in One Word from Sophia (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, June 16, 2015) written by Jim Averbeck with illustrations by Yasmeen Ismail is going to leave nothing to chance.  Her wish simply has to be fulfilled.

Sophia's birthday was coming up, and she had five things on her mind---
One True Desire and four problems.

Sophia's One True Desire is not what you would expect.  It's as extraordinary as she is.  She wants a pet, a pet giraffe.  Her problems are her family members, a mom, a dad, an uncle and a grandmother.  Each has a focus in their lives which Sophia finds appealing.

To her mother, a judge, Sophia lays out the facts in legalese heavily laden with reason.  Her final argument involves travel to ballet class complete with a map.  Not swayed in the slightest and pointing out a flaw, her mom says no citing her presentation as too lengthy.

Not one to become discouraged, Sophia rallies for problem number two, her dad, the businessman.  Making money involving poop complete with a profit graph is sure to get her father's attention.  As he points out, Sophia forgot to figure in costs.  He comes to an identical conclusion as her mom.  Sophia is using too many words.

Her uncle, a politician, is not convinced by her poll of cherished toys nor her chart.  When he mentions the word loquacious, she knows she needs to change her tactics.  Approaching Grand-mama with resolve, she begins.  Her grandmother quickly utters a resounding

"No"

along with, by this time, familiar firm guidance.

Sophia is going to give one last plea to the entire group.  Her request is refined and defined by nothing more than a single word.  It might also involve kneeling and clasped hands.  Is the perfect pet in her future?


In a book titled about one word, Jim Averbeck uses words to great effect.  Instead of the word wish, he uses One True Desire.  He designates her family as problems, hurdles to be jumped to get the ultimate birthday present.  His heart is aligned with his audience.

We cheer for Sophia because of her bubbling assurance in attaining her goal and her clever mind working to her problems' strengths.  Her proposals are sincere in every respect making us at the very least smile but at other times laugh out loud.  The conversations between Sophia and her mom, dad, uncle and grandmother are appropriately splendid.  The introduction of new vocabulary adds to the authenticity and liveliness of the narrative. (A glossary at the end defines the words in simple terms.)  Here is a sample passage.

Her proposal was accompanied by a compelling graph showing how much money she would make.
"I'm sorry," said Father, "but your business plan is unsound.  You failed to count the cost of care and feeding for your manure producer, not to mention the warehousing of poop.


Looking like laughter perched on top of a giraffe, wearing her every-present tutu, Sophia dances into our hearts on the matching dust jacket and book case.  On the dust jacket little hands will love to feel the embossed portions of the image.  To the left, on the back, an assortment of toys from her room is placed on the page.  They further represent her on-the-move personality.  The opening endpapers are in giraffe yellow with line drawings in black of Sophia in an assortment of activities and moods.  In pure white the closing endpapers feature Sophia riding her new pet on the left pointing at the glossary on the right.

A two-page illustration spans the verso and title page.  Striped ribbon frames the visual of Sophia tying a big, big bow on her pooch pal.  Rendered in watercolor and colored pencil on a white background the pictures' sizes shift from two pages to a series of small vignettes on several pages.  Yasmeen Ismail changes perspective to punctuate the pacing of the story.

The style of the illustrations are altered to depict Sophia's thoughts.  They appear as if drawn by a younger person.  These contribute to the humor and liveliness of the text.  Her portrayal of Sophia is so charming we expect her to leap off the page.

One of my favorite illustrations spreads across two pages.  Sophia is standing in front of her shelves speaking to her favorite stuffed toys.  She is posed on one foot, like a sprightly ballerina, with a checklist and pencil in her hands.  A blue stool and a scattering of toys are spread behind her.


One Word from Sophia written by Jim Averbeck with illustrations by Yasmeen Ismail directs our attention to the power of persuasion and the impact of our word choices. In a completely winsome story with a character you can't help but embrace, you realize the value of less is more especially backed by genuine emotion.  You'll want to add this to your must-read-aloud stack.

To discover more about Jim Averbeck and Yasmeen Ismail please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  You can view several images from the book at the publisher's website.   You can view loads of art at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast hosted by author and blogger, Julie Danielson, along with a link to her Q & A with Averbeck and Ismail at Kirkus. Enjoy the book trailer.





In a search on birthday traditions I located this video by John Green for Mental Floss. 

Already?

On any given day, depending on whom you talk to or the hour, most will agree the passage of time is tricky.  For the most part it goes faster than intended, especially if you are enjoying a particular activity.  Whether anyone is willing to admit it or not, age is definitely a factor.  It's been said the perception of time going faster the older you are is because you are not experiencing nearly as many first-time events.

Endless energy seems to go hand in hand with youth as does leaping from one endeavor to another numerous times between awakening and falling asleep.  It's no easy task to turn off all that get-up-and-go.  If you think little humans are the only ones with all this zest, zip and zing, think again.  Time for Bed, Fred! (Walker Books For Young Readers, an imprint of Bloomsbury, February 11, 2014) written and illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail (born in Dublin, now based in London) follows a cutie-pie pooch that is simply not ready for rest and relaxation.

It's time for bed, Fred!

Oh no, Fred,

where are you going?

In Fred's mind bed fills him with dread.  There is still too much to do. There is furniture to knock over, gardens to hide in and trees to climb.  Trees to climb?  How did Fred get in a tree? 

Fred wants to dig in the dirt, sniff a caterpillar and scratch the itch that won't quit.  Oh! No!  Not the puddle Fred!  Now Fred is up to his perky ears in bubbles having a bath.

Barely in the tub, he is racing out and down the stairs.  This bundle of fur is full of fast and furious.  Shaking out his coat right next to the clean laundry (Why do they always do that?), Fred is ready for a game of hide and seek.  Where could he be?  

It's getting later and later but Fred brings a book to his human, a request for a bedtime story.  His wish is granted but now he needs to find his bed.  That's what I call a great stalling technique.  Very clever, Fred!

An unseen narrator is in pursuit of Fred, trying to persuade him to call it a day and hit the hay.  Based on the simple sentence structure and word choices Yasmeen Ismail depicts the voiced thoughts of a younger person.  Readers, no matter their age, can easily identify with the events in this story as well as recall those times they avoided bedtime at all costs. The pauses between each phrase raise an already funny book to the status of downright hilarious.

Except for the book case, where we can already see Fred is a rascal, liberal use of white space acts as a canvas for Yasmeen Ismail's cheerful watercolor illustrations.  Each picture is full of the lively antics of this comic canine.  Loose sketches of Fred in various poses among scattered bones, black on red, cover the opening and closing endpapers. 

Ismail may use a full two pages for her visual as in the opening line where six different time pieces all pointing to eight o'clock are featured, signaling bedtime.  Fred is gazing up at the one bonging out the hour.  In contrast if Fred is moving at lightning speed from place to place, she will cluster two or three smaller pictures on a single page.  The expressions on Fred's face combined with his body postures and movements will have readers smiling with every page turn.

Two of my favorite pictures are of Fred in the garden and when he is carrying a book titled WOOF! by R. Hound in his mouth.  The disparity between all the delicate colorful flowers and his dark form lying low in the shallow hole of dirt is grin-inducing.  I can already hear the children laughing when they hear the text accompanying this illustration.  His body covering most of two pages, looking hopefully at his human, with the open book in his mouth goes straight to this book lover's heart.  Who wouldn't read a story to that dog?

Energetic and entertaining, Fred will have you rooting for him all the way in Time for Bed, Fred! written and illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail.  Perfect anytime but especially for bedtime this book is a keeper with a capital K.  I would pair it with All The Awake Animals Are Almost Asleep, Sleep Like A Tiger or Dream Animals.

Head to Yasmeen Ismail's website by following the link embedded in her name.  She has pictures from Time for Bed, Fred! on a specific page for this book.  Plus you get to see much more of her wonderful artwork.

This is the image used for the cover in the UK.