Anyone who has loved a baby or a dog, and especially those who adore both, will clamor for this equivalent of a family photograph album.
Originally begun as a chronicle of naptime for Beau, her son, and Theo, their puppy, on Jessica Shyba's blog, Momma's Gone City, this captivating book offers enough variety of perspectives and high-quality photographs to keep children and parents returning again and again. It begins with Beau getting droopy ("Beau is sleepy"). His blond hair, the color of a white fleece throw beneath him, and a black long-sleeve T-shirt accentuate the markings of Theo's fur. Next, the pooch's eyes are at half-mast ("Theo is sleepy"), reclining on raspberry and peach sherbet–tinted pillows. "Time to dream" accompanies an image of the two nestled together against gold star–patterned sheets. They sleep on their backs and on their bellies. "Cheek to cheek" is astonishing; the photograph captures the slumbering puppy's cheek atop the sleeping child's cheek.
Anyone who knows toddlers or puppies will be certain these can't have been posed. Who could stay still long enough? And yet.... The lighting looks as if it's streaming through a window--natural yet otherworldly in its perfection.
The strength of the text stems from its construction as a kind of conversation, with a wink, between child and pet. The outtakes on the endpapers will captivate readers as much as the interior images. And the happy outcome is: everyone will want to take a nap! Delectable. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness