TIME TO SLEEP

A well-wrought bedtime book from Fleming (Where Once There Was a Wood, 1996, etc.), who sends little ones cheerfully off to their dreams. When Bear smells winter in the air, she knows it's time to sleep, and she will, just after she tells Snail. Snail recalls the frost on the grass this morning and knows Bear is right—it's time to sleep, right after Skunk is told. It is Ladybug who carries the news full circle back to Bear, snoring in her cave. Sleepy goodnights end the book as white flakes appear in the dark forest. The illustrations, created by pouring colored cotton pulp through hand-cut stencils, feature boldly life-like small animals and insects who face the coming of winter in a simple, truthful manner. Visual delight and solid natural history aside, the joy of the story is the way in which it incorporates childlike attempts to delay bedtime and a beautifully turned, humorous ending. A perfect fit for the audience. (Picture book. 2-7)