If you've read Little Pea, you'll love the follow-up, Little Hoot, by Amy Krause Rosenthal and illustrated by Jen Corace. The theme is identical-childhood deconstructionism. Rosenthal takes a long accepted paradigm of childhood (all kids try to stay up late) and turns it upon itself.
Little Hoot is an owlet who enjoys everything about being an owl (such as pondering and staring) except one thing. His parents demand that he stay up late. After all that's what owls do. But Little Hoot wants to go to bed. His mother compromises with him-"Stay up and play for one more hour and then you can go to sleep."
Little Hoot tries so hard to fill the time. He counts down the final ten minutes. Finally the hour is up. Before his parents can read him a bedtime story or offer him a glass of water, he's happily asleep.
I don't know how old Maya will have to be before she appreciates the humor of this book, but I think your kids will enjoy it. You could juxtapose it with Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late to really work their mental acuity.
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