LOOKING FOR SLEEP

Insomnia strikes Wolf.

Wolf cannot fall asleep. All the usual remedies and routines do not work, even hanging upside down. (It works for the bats.) What to do? Go in search of sleep! Wolf sets out by waking Badger, and the two then proceed to scare Hedgehog awake. All three join together and keep up the quest by heading for knowledgeable Owl. On the way, they hear Rabbit snoring and tickle its nose, resulting in a very loud sneeze that fills two pages. Alas, sleep does not emerge with the sneeze. Finally finding Owl, they learn that the best way to meet sleep is “listening to a bedtime story.” Perched on a tree stump, Owl reads from a book that looks very much like the book she is in. Wolf, Badger, and Hedgehog listen attentively until…zzzzzzzz. The animals are garbed in a variety of knits: green turtleneck for Wolf, red cardigan for Badger, and blue scarf for Hedgehog. The surreal forest settings are bathed in blue while large font sizes add emphasis to the sounds and actions. The familiar motif of animals joining together on a mission circles back nicely in a very comfortable setting.

Here’s hoping it works as well for toddlers as it does for Wolf.