Beep Beep to Sleep

Debbie Rigaud (DebbieRigaud.com) also wrote the picture book The Littlest Food Critic and the young adult novels Simone Breaks All the Rules and A Girl’s Guide to Love & Magic. Co-author of the New York Times bestselling Hope series (written with Alyssa Milano) and The Sister Switch (with Sarah Mlynowski), her most recent work is the middle grade novel Mermaid Season. She lives with her husband and children in Columbus, Ohio.Olivia Duchess (OliviaDuchess.com) has illustrated numerous picture books, including Becoming a Ballerina:The Story of Michaela Mabinty DePrince (by Laura Obuobi), Hello There, Sunshine (by Tabitha Brown), Tiana’s Perfect Plan (by Anika Noni Rose), The Light She Feels Inside (by Gwendolyn Wallace), Lovely Day (based on the lyrics by Bill Withers), Daddy-Daughter Day (by Pierce Freelon), and A Neighborhood Walk, a Musical Journey (by Pilar Winter Hill). She lives in London.

“Inside, families get ready for bed, but outside, the city is bustling. . . . Sirens blare, cars honk, and crowds chatter and laugh. The clamor isn’t going to quiet anytime soon. But each sound melts into a familiar rhythm, lulling city-dwellers as they close their eyes. Rigaud and Duchess pop in and out of many cities—Baltimore, Brooklyn, Chicago, and more—as they peer into various bedroom scenes. . . . Regardless of the nighttime routines, one thing remains constant: All these children feel safe and loved. . . . Onomatopoetic sounds abound. . . . Dim lights, comfy blankets, and warm squeezes of stuffed animals contrast with the buzz of outdoor conversations, joyous street corner singing, and barking pups on their nighttime walk. . . . The urban landscape and indoor coziness end up melding together. . . . A sweet melody of urban life.” —Kirkus Reviews“A clever inversion of the hushabye-style wind-down book, this joyfully cacophonous lullaby from Rigaud and Duchess insists that a city’s clatter isn’t something to sleep despite, but something to sleep to. Rhyming lines fold the racket into familiar bedtime rituals, name-checking cities across the U.S. In these pages, there’s no expectation that the world outside will quiet down. . . . Painterly interior night scenes glow amber against deep blues, and family members, portrayed with various abilities and skin tones, alternate in household makeup and sleeping arrangement. It’s a bedtime book that never asks night owls to be something they aren’t.” —Publishers Weekly