I picked up Nap in a Lap (written by Sarah Wilson and illustrated by Akemi Gutierrez) for my son's 2nd birthday. It quickly became a favorite read for both of us, and was perfect for settling my son down for his own nap. (He's 3 1/2 now and still loves it.)"It's easy to nap tucked into a flap," the story begins. Using her imagination and a menagerie of plush toys, a little girl discovers the different places baby animals curl up for their naps. Accompanied by her puppy pal, she finds nappers "cradled in snow," "snoozled in sand dunes," and "hugged in a tree," just to name a few. In the end, the little girl and her pooch find the naptime spots that are just right for each of them.
The story is told in a lyrical rhyme that is fun to read aloud. Wilson makes clever use of sweet, comforting words such as snugged, cuddled, and cozied to describe the ways the animal youngsters are held while they rest with their mothers and fathers. Perfect naptime verse. Gutierrez' gouache illustrations are both colorful and soothing, not to mention adorable. Speaking of Akemi Gutierrez, her latest book The Mummy And Other Adventures Of Sam & Alice was just released July 25th (2005). It's the first book she has both written and illustrated.
