Sail off on a magical nighttime trip in Sea Snooze, the newest picture book by Sarabeth Holden and Emma Pedersen.

In this dreamy, rhyming story, readers are transported to the Arctic on a bedtime cruise, encountering ocean animals as they sail off to sleep.

Sarabeth Holden crafts the loveliest stories, perfect for the youngest readers and the readers love them too given her last book Benny the Bananasaurus Rex won the 2024 Blue Spruce Award. Sea Snooze is the perfect bedtime story. The lyrical rhyming text is calm and soothing sending out the relaxing vibes that help readers calm their bodies and get ready for sleep.

I love that Sarabeth includes the animals of the Arctic throughout the story, animals that don’t often feature in many picture books. Readers have the opportunity to see beluga and Minke whales as well as seals and guillemots. She also includes Inuktitut words that she commonly uses at home with her children, sharing her Inuit culture with readers and teaching them something new or showing them the importance of embracing their language.

Emma Pedersen’s illustrations are absolutely PERFECT! Not only do the illustrations feel inspired by Sarabeth and her boys, they also offer the perfect amount of magic for the best bedtime story. There is a sparkle to the pictures that reminds me of the night sky. The deep blues and aquas set the tone for a this story that is guaranteed to help even the most ardent bedtime refusal impossible.