Goodnight school

Bailey and Doerrfeld skillfully twine story lines in this loving after-hours tribute to a stalwart school building. Following a long day, the school is ready for some much-needed rest ("All the cubbies yawn,/ lined up, clean and neat.// Worksheets settle in./ Erasers are just beat"), and a pale-skinned night guard's arrival signals the structure's bedtime. Meanwhile, a red-eared slider turtle escapes its classroom terrarium and embarks on a journey through the rooms, cleverly evading the diligent security guard, who notices that something's amiss while making rounds. The characters' near-misses offers plenty opportunity for sight gags that showcase the turtle's ingenuity (it crouches beneath a tambourine in the music room and swipes a cupcake from the teachers' lounge) while subtly celebrating all the spaces and things that make school a place filled with near-constant activity. Human background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4--8. (June)

Who knew a school needed some shut-eye, too? As the school closes for the night, the class turtle leaves its aquarium to explore and the tan-skinned Night Guard starts her rounds, turning off lights and checking that all's safe, clean, and tucked away neatly. Expressed in languid but occasionally clunky verse, this story gives readers a good idea of what the guard's job entails: plenty. The real highlights, though, are the slyly clever illustrations, which will be particularly appreciated by those who enjoy finding hidden objects in artwork. Virtually every page contains inanimate objects that resemble faces with smiles or half-closed eyes. In a classroom, a round reading rug with pillows for eyes smiles sleepily; a couch in the teachers' lounge seems ready for slumber. Other objects look like cozy beds, such as cafeteria lunch trays with napkins for pillows. Musical instruments dream, cubbies snooze, and a water fountain appears to be drooling in its sleep. Even the facade of the school building, with its droopy window shades and door, looks comically as though it's about to doze off. Kids will relish discovering these and many more ingenious images throughout, not to mention tracking that errant turtle, whose path may be followed on every page. (It's returned safely to bed, in case you're wondering.) The titular school may be sleepy, but kids will stay awake long enough to pore over the inspired artwork. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.