What if bedtime didn't exist?

Following on from a refrain of "what if...," Cunningham articulates innumerable possibilities, including the titular phrase. From morning until night, mundane moments become enlivened by imaginary opportunities for two kids: "What if.../ when we're eating breakfast at our/ table and finish before everyone else, we could/ sprout wings in any color or shape and fly out/ of the kitchen window...?" Mini dinosaurs, secret-whispering ladybugs, and "an endless ice cream/ sundae on wheels" parade through the children's minds as they picture themselves becoming supers, sea creatures, or playmates of otherworldly beings. Alongside lengthy meandering text, candy-colored illustrations feature the two dark-haired kids, portrayed with light brown skin, embracing a supernatural world. As bedtime begins, loving wishes provide invincibility for more far-out dreams--encouraging readers to lean into their own what-ifs. Ages 4--7. (Mar.)

How far could we go if we allowed our creativity to wander freely with wild abandon? The dark-haired, brown-skinned siblings in this vivacious book let their imaginations soar and conjure up riotous what ifs that readers will wish would actually materialize. Take, for instance, the "really nice" green and blue monsters in their closets who've come to play dress-up in outlandish outfits that these kids "didn't even know we had." Or what if, after breakfast, the kids could sprout wings and fly out the kitchen window…and "play hide-and-seek in the puffy white clouds"? What if "dinosaurs [were] still alive…but "were all accidentally shrunk to the size of ants…and now they roam and roar with ferocity at our toes"? Cunningham (Saddle Lake Cree Nation) employs language that grows richer, lusher, and more evocatively picturesque as the what ifs grow more vivid and ingenious. If ever there was an opportunity for children to share their own thoughts--verbally, in writing, or through art--this is it! Youngsters will jump at the chance to let their fancies fly freely and happily join these sibs in a wondrous fantasy world of sublime what ifs. The best is saved for last: the what if of nonexistent bedtime! The illustrations are terrific: flying, swooping whoops of dazzling colors that match these children's own inventiveness. What if there was a great book about kids' artful, joyful imagination? Oh, wait: Here it is! (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.