Hen in the Bed by Katrina Charman, illustrated by Guilherme Karsten

 Charming, insightful, fascinating, and beautiful picture books come out every day it seems, but good, solid, storytime read-alouds, especially for toddler audiences, are not so easy to find. This delightful reimagining of a classic chant hits every requirement though and is sure to be a new favorite at storytimes.

The titular "hen" replaces the "ten" in the bed, although the story begins with ten animals brushing their teeth and trooping off to bed, pillows under paws. Once everyone is settled in though, chicken pops up on the far side of an accordion of split pages and demands that they roll over. One by one, the animals roll over, fall out, and roar, growl, hiss, snore, and yelp until only hen is left, with an awkward heap of animals sprawled on the floor.

Worried and lonely, the hen invites them all back and with a chorus of moos, quacks, meows and baas, they settle in, this time for good, with a good night "cluck" from the hen. The colorful pictures include humorous little details, like the sleepy sloth and the hen's worried expression, but even little ones sitting at the back of the room will be able to enjoy the story as they make animal sounds, roll over, and chant along to the familiar refrain.

Verdict: A top-notch retelling, bigger libraries especially will want several copies of this title for both circulation and frequent storytime use. Recommended.

ISBN: 9798887770451; Published March 2024 by Nosy Crow; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library