I Will Take A Nap! by Mo Willems; Hyperion Books, $9.99, 64 pages, ages 6-8.

Gerald and Piggie are back in their 23rd adventure of hijinks and adventure. This time, Gerald is cranky and wants to nap, but can’t seem to shake Piggie from his mind. Will he ever catch his forty winks, or will Piggie’s presence distract him? Mo Willems’ award winning early reader series has captivated young readers since 2007, and it’s easy to see why; the books are written comic-book style, with color-coded speech bubbles for each character, and there’s plenty of word repetition for children to practice. Where Elephant and Piggie departs from the Dick and Jane model is word choice – snore and cranky are prominent in this book – and there’s plenty of action to keep readers engaged.

While there are many early readers to choose from, there’s no reason to settle for boring or overtly didactic when writers like Willems are crafting great books like those in this series. I Will Take A Nap! is available everywhere today, June 2.