HIBERNATION STATION

The autumn leaves are swirling all around, so it must be time to gather at Hibernation Station to board the train to sleep. An adorable crew of pajama-clad forest animals make their way to the train, a collection of log cars with variously sized holes and crevices. Large and small, reptile and mammal, true hibernators and “light sleepers” all pile onto the train. But it’s not long before there are problems. Bear’s roommate keeps him awake, groundhog’s hole is too small and so on. The uniformed railroad bears look over the hibernation maps and sort everyone out so that soon the only sound is of snoozing. An author’s note gives more information about hibernation, including the distinction between true hibernators and light sleepers. Cyrus’s pencil-and–digital color illustrations are filled with rich colors and details, albeit anthropomorphized ones. The fundamental problem is that a jam-packed train is a poor model to illustrate this phenomenon. Denise Fleming' s Time to Sleep (1997) still sets the standard. (Picture book. 3-5)