Looking for sleep

PreS-Gr 1--In scenes that are the deep blues and purple of nighttime, "It was bedtime in the forest, but Wolf was wide awake. He just couldn't sleep!" Most readers, even preschoolers, will relate. Amid the beautiful scenery the illustrator has created, awash in moonlight to alleviate the dark, what is Wolf to do? He searches for sleep, shouts for it, and others join him. This is a darling tale of how tricky looking for sleep is, and it takes an owl to set them all straight. The digital art is toylike; every scene looks like a theatrical stage. VERDICT A bedtime book that gets very loud before it gets quiet, but children will love to see the animals finally find sleep.

Insomnia strikes Wolf. Wolf cannot fall asleep. All the usual remedies and routines do not work, even hanging upside down. (It works for the bats.) What to do? Go in search of sleep! Wolf sets out by waking Badger, and the two then proceed to scare Hedgehog awake. All three join together and keep up the quest by heading for knowledgeable Owl. On the way, they hear Rabbit snoring and tickle its nose, resulting in a very loud sneeze that fills two pages. Alas, sleep does not emerge with the sneeze. Finally finding Owl, they learn that the best way to meet sleep is "listening to a bedtime story." Perched on a tree stump, Owl reads from a book that looks very much like the book she is in. Wolf, Badger, and Hedgehog listen attentively until…zzzzzzzz. The animals are garbed in a variety of knits: green turtleneck for Wolf, red cardigan for Badger, and blue scarf for Hedgehog. The surreal forest settings are bathed in blue while large font sizes add emphasis to the sounds and actions. The familiar motif of animals joining together on a mission circles back nicely in a very comfortable setting. Here's hoping it works as well for toddlers as it does for Wolf. (Picture book. 2-4) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.