K^-Gr. 2. In this dreamlike, magical tale, a little boy tries to fall asleep at his grandparents' house. Short, rhyming verse depicts his surroundings: the dog Buck and two cats; Grandma and Grandpa, "in flowered pajamas"; the bird Whimsey; and the great north woods outside the house. Soon the music of the house begins: the purring of cats, the thumping of the dog's tail, grandparents' snoring beside him, the bird tweeting and ringing its bell, logging trucks driving by, and the sounds of the wild animals. The refrain, "The house about him is singing / Singing its sleepy song," adds a sweet note of reassurance. Finally the little boy falls asleep with the friendly sounds bringing him lovely dreams. There's sweet comedy in Daigneault's shimmery pictures, with blues, greens, and purples playing off tan background colors: the refrigerator does a lively jig, the cats snuggle close in a very crowded bed, and a smiling silver moon shines down on all. --Kathy Broderick

All kinds of night noises, from a bird's twittering and a pipe's gurgling to a refrigerator's humming and a fox's yipping, keep a small boy awake in his grandparents' bed. The story is told in singsongy rhyming verse, and kids will probably enjoy joining in on the noisy refrains. Illustrations tinged with the blues, greens, and purples of night are just shy of being too sentimental. From HORN BOOK Spring 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

PreS-Gr 2-"In a little log house, On a great green hill, Under a shimmering sky" a young boy is lulled to sleep by all the noises of the night. Snuggled into his grandparents' bed, he is joined by two cats and a dog at the foot of the bed with a "Purr, thump, purr, thump, All on a sleepy night. Purr, thump, purr, thump, Under a northern sky." Grandma and Grandpa join in the musical refrain with a snore and a whistling "whiss." The house itself sings "its sleepy song" with gurgling pipes, creaky floors, and dripping faucets. The outside world of nature is also preparing for sleep: "Up on the ridge, a fox and her kits Yip happily at the moon. Down on the water, languid and long, Echoes the cry of the loon." Daigneault's dreamy colored-pencil and crayon illustrations are awash in blues, greens, and purples, successfully capturing the beauty of the night. The text is appropriately rhythmic and the gentle treatment of the often-strange night sounds will soothe and reassure children afraid of the dark. Young listeners will also enjoy repeating the onomatopoetic sounds. Reminiscent of the familial warmth and lyrical quality of Audrey Wood's The Napping House (Harcourt, 1984), this is a lovely addition to bedtime storytimes.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.