Sometimes it's nice to be alone by Amy Hest, illustrated by Philip Stead

I went into this skeptical, sure it would turn out to be one of those "I love to be alone, but everything is better when a gazillion people are crowding all over me and I learn that I don't really like to be alone" but it turned out to be a rather clever take on the concept and a very nice read-aloud.

The story opens with a kid in a pink-striped shirt and matching socks, black pants, thick glasses, and blue-black hair bunched into a ponytail. They sit at a bright blue table, eating a cookie, with a sunflower in a jar and a pink stuffed elephant at their feet. "Sometimes it's nice to be alone. Just you, eating your cookie alone. But what if a friend pops in?" The next scene shows a life-size pink elephant stomping across the page to join the child at the table.

The story follows this pattern, with the child joined by each one of their stuffed animal friends as a full-size animal and in imaginative scenes until they end up in their bed, looking out the window at the snow and dreaming, accompanied by a stuffed penguin.

The art is much brighter than I'm used to thinking of Stead's work, which usually sticks to pastel hues, and while it has his trademark fuzzy lines, they are much thicker and bolder. The soft stream of text is rhythmic and comforting, with a blank verse feel to it.

Verdict: This would make a delightful bedtime story as well as one inspiring young readers to enjoy their imagination - and their solitude. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780823449477; Published February 2023 by Neal Porter Books; Borrowed from another library in my consortium