What really happens at night?

A book of bedtime questions big and small. "What are you thinking about?" Mom asks a child at the foot of the bed in a cozy room scattered with socks and books. The child is resisting sleep because of a racing mind--relatable content sure to hook caregivers and youngsters alike. Each spread contains a single question in chunky black text, with the "Why," "Where," or "What" enlarged for emphasis. Some of the questions are simple on the surface (like "Where's the last piece of cake?"), but a closer look at the illustrated scene suggests mischief in the form of ants devouring the cake, crumb by crumb. Other scenes cheerfully introduce magical realism, as a fish watches TV with the child, a lost clicker dropped in the fish's bowl, to wordlessly answer the question, "Where's the TV remote?" Attention to the quietly improbable possibilities behind each question encourages imagination, and reading can be scaled for a wide age range. Plenty of negative space balances the thoughtful art, which is based in pinks, blues, and earthy grays and browns. The human characters have light skin tones; names and gender identities are not shared. Those who have had mundane and existential queries zip through their minds while they're trying to sleep will revel in the innocently blunt tone of this brief, gratifyingly inconclusive story of inquiry. Delightful bedtime fare and, ironically, a potential get-to-sleep tool. (Picture book. 1-5) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.