Trudy the Tree Frog has just settled down in her tree and fallen asleep for the night when she has an idea. She leaps onto the window of the house next to her tree and gazes in at a little girl who has a bunk bed all to herself. That bottom bunk looks so comfortable and soft! Trudy begins croaking and trilling, begging to be let in; not wanting to wake her family, the little girl obliges. Once inside, Trudy discovers that the bed really isn’t comfortable for a frog: she’s sticking to everything! The bed’s too big! She starts to cry again – but this time, she wakes up Daddy! Can Dad and the little girl get Trudy back to her tree so she can get some sleep?

This bedtime rhyme has a relaxing cadence when read aloud, making it a good choice to wind things down after a long day. Kids may recognize themselves in Trudy, who’s satisfied with what she has until she thinks someone else has it better – and then discovers happiness is subjective; what works for one may not work for another. Trudy happily ends up back where she belongs, and makes a new friend in the process.

Both the author and award-winning illustrator have a wealth of wildlife/environmental storytelling experience. Readers will learn a little bit about tree frog habitats and behaviors, and the illustrations clearly show Trudy’s sticky foot pads and tongue, and how that presents a bit of a problem for sleeping in a bed, but how it would be a big help to sleeping in a tree. The color scheme is perfect for a bedtime story, with sedate, deep blues and purples, and low yellows for the lights. Bold, black, decorative font adds a whimsical touch to storytelling and reading. A sweet addition to bedtime story collections and nature-centric collections.