THE BEDTIME BOOK

Mouse needs her favorite bedtime book now!

Poor Mouse is very upset, so she reaches out to good pal Frank the dog. Mouse left her favorite bedtime book outside her flowerpot home, and now it’s missing. Frank, having just roused himself from bed, extends a concerned paw and checks for himself. His keen nose discerns a trail leading to mutual friend Bella the cat, who concedes she left Mouse’s book near Owl’s house. The trio hurries off, but…no book. And it turns out that Owl has given the book to Baby Hedgehog. Disconsolate Mouse doesn’t have the heart to retrieve her book from the baby, so everyone returns home. Frank attempts to fall asleep again, but, struck with a sudden idea, he rushes off to Mouse. The idea? Kindly Frank’s brought his favorite nighttime book to share with her. As Mouse listens, it sounds familiar: She and Frank have the same favorite bedtime book, so Mouse gets to hear her favorite story after all! This British import is simple, sweet, and gentle—if also thin and predictable. Sharp youngsters will wonder why clues about the book’s cover design, mentioned earlier in the story, didn’t tip Frank off sooner that his and Mouse’s favorite bedtime books are identical. Collagelike illustrations enhance the charm, with endearing, wide-eyed animal characters posed against black or dark-green backgrounds.

Though unoriginal, this is a bedtime book kids will likely want to keep.