Age 2-4

Alexis Deacon’s debut, Slow Loris, was one of the most likeable, skilled and interesting picturebooks of recent years; everything he has done since has also been notable. This latest is a variation on a familiar idea: that while children sleep their toys have a life of their own. Yet Deacon’s treatment looks distinctive and contains surprising details. On lovely, sand-coloured cartridge paper, shadowy drawings of breathtaking dexterity, in smudgy, brown line and glowing oil pastel, express more than usual tenderness, particularly in the depiction of a sleeping child — in one touching instance cradled by bedtime toys in the attitude of a pietà. Soft toys are invested with character and emotion, even those that look as if they are made of old socks, and the pictures tell a story beyond the text about the poignant role of the tiny newcomer toy. There is humour, too: the toys scare bad dreams away by wearing silly things on their heads and waving their bottoms defiantly. Overall, the words, medium and technique are all suitably soothing and sleepy, making this an ideal bedtime book.

(Hutchinson £10.99)

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