Seasoned author-illustrator Watson introduces a quintet of winsome young rabbits with wide-eyed stares, springy, stick-like limbs and old-fashioned outfits. They live in a cozy hollowed-out tree with their mother and father, who call them inside just as the first few snowflakes begin to fall. Their actions then mirror a child’s typical bedtime routine—a healthy snack (carrots, of course), tooth brushing, a bath, putting on pajamas, listening to a story, a bedtime smooch and, finally, drifting off to sleep. All of this is accomplished with no more than four words on any double-page spread. This brevity offers plenty of opportunities to pore over the pictures, charmingly executed in pencil, watercolors and acrylics. The individual bunnies’ personalities shine through in the gently rounded, softly textured illustrations, and there’s an amusing secondary story, entirely visual, in which the papa bunny creates a miniature snow-rabbit for his youngest son. It will take patience and discipline on the part of adult readers to keep from breezing through without slowing down long enough for listeners to take in the details, but it's worth it. Quiet and utterly darling. (Picture book. 5-8)
