BEST FRIENDS SLEEP OVER

Gilbert Gorilla is so excited about his elephant friend Eddie's slumber party that he forgets to take along his toy clown, in case he can't fall asleep. All goes well until bedtime- -the four friends (including Ricky Rhino and Conner Crocodile) have a splendid time playing games like ``Pin-the-Flies-on-the- Hyena,'' sharing a pizza, and having a humongous pillow fight. Still, once he's snuggled into his sleeping bag, Gilbert can't restrain his sobs. His friends rally round to comfort him: they play him a special song, Ricky loans him his teddy bear, and by morning everything's fine again. The story holds no surprises- -though it's well told, and making the nurturing friends male is a nice touch—but Rogers's delicate watercolors are enchanting. The expressively rendered animals in their imaginatively patterned pj's are all boy, whether romping, intent on pictures they're drawing, or yawning themselves awake after a late night; there are dozens of intriguing and delightful details to discover. (Picture book. 3-7)