Review Detail

ALL THE ANIMALS WERE SLEEPING is a lovely picture book that works well for bedtime. A small mongoose realizes it is bedtime and begins to head home. He passes by all sorts of animals in the Serengeti on his way, and all the animals are sleeping. Once he gets to his burrow, he curls up to sleep, and then truly all the animals are sleeping.

What I loved: This book features lovely illustrations with a beautiful use of color. The Serengeti comes to life on each page with soft and soothing images of many types of animals snuggled up in sleep. The little mongoose can be seen traveling through each page, and young readers will have fun following his journey. Soft sentences and gentle phrasing with the repetition of the title make for a solid bedtime choice.

The length of text on each page will work well for preschoolers and young elementary school readers. A QR code on the back provides an audiobook with notes of when to turn the page, so young readers can explore independently as well.

What left me wanting more: As a small thing, some of the text is very tough to read due to color choices, such as the light green text on a medium to dark green tree. This is even worse in low light settings like bedtime, particularly as caregivers' eyes age - though this is when the QR code comes in handy.

Final verdict: ALL THE ANIMALS WERE SLEEPING is a gentle and beautifully illustrated story that will work well for bedtime.