Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

Do you sleep? Do you ever wonder why you have to sleep? Or even why you sleep the way you do? What about animals and creatures of the sea? Do they sleep? Or do they snooze, laze, doze, snuggle, cuddle, nap, kip, or take a siesta? Well, actually, all animals and creatures of the sea have their special way of sleeping. It helps make the body strong again after a busy day (or night, if it’s a day sleeper). Why not ask some of the animals and creatures of the sea yourself and see what they have to say about sleeping. “Flipper, do you ever nap?” a little boy asks a penguin. “Yes, little by little, day and night, a lot like you. On a frozen land, lying on my belly, is where I flap to nap!” Would you feel comfortable lying on your belly on a cold, hard sheet of ice? I know I wouldn’t. So, how do you sleep?

Srividhya Lakshmanan’s picture book story, Do They All Sleep?, is a clever and charming book about the different sleeping patterns of many diverse animals and creatures of the sea. Beautifully illustrated by Akansha Krishnan, the author provides young readers with an opportunity to understand that everyone must, and does, sleep. The author begins with a little boy asking his father, “Daddy, why should I sleep, do animals ever sleep?” A typical question that might be raised by a typical young reluctant sleeper and a great way to introduce many different animals and their various sleeping habits. The author has each animal introduce themselves: “I’m Quack, the duck.” Then the boy asks if the animal sleeps (or uses another word that suggests sleep, like nod off, rest, take a siesta, etc.) The animal answers and explains and then the author asks the reader a thinking question, like “Have you ever slept on a tree like me?”, a question addressed to Mimi the monkey. The last page opens up the sharing portal, asking the young reader to share how they like to sleep. This is a wonderful interactive book, creative and educational as well as fun to read.