Review: 'Good Night, Earth,' by Linda Bondestam, translated from the Swedish by Galit Hasan-Rokem

The meerkat family gets ready for bed with a few evening yoga stretches. The baby kiwis don't want to go to bed; they bounce around until papa kiwi falls asleep and then they play some more. The owl family, on the other hand, falls asleep just as everyone else is waking up.

In "Good Night, Earth" (Restless Books, $20, ages 3-6), Finnish artist Linda Bondestam's funny and beautiful picture book (translated from the Swedish by Galit Hasan-Rokem), a couple of lumpy green creatures from a faraway planet spy on the baffling bedtime habits of Earthlings.

Bondestam's mixed-media illustrations — drawing, painting, paper and Photoshop — are wonderfully detailed, and she picked unusual creatures (an axolotl, a tarsier, those meerkats) to depict, giving them all vivid expressions. Some look demonic, some worried, some deeply suspicious, some (the kiwis) slightly crazed. It's the eyes. They all have great, expressive eyes.

This is a fun book for anytime you want to be reminded (or remind your child) about the wonderful varied creatures of this planet.

LAURIE HERTZEL

Bondestam will be at Virtual Wordplay at 9 a.m. May 5, loft.org/festival/wordplay-schedule, and will do a virtual book talk at 6 p.m. May 11 through Wild Rumpus, bit.ly/3s3XoCV.