A bouncily surreal rhyming tale, drenched in golden-brown bearish hues. A little boy is snuggled in his bed, surrounded by a truly huge assortment of animal-pal stuffies, mostly bears. And he hears “a furry sound.” He goes downstairs to find the house full of bears, being cuddly, and having a party, with drinks and cakes and musical instruments, even a Game Boy–type toy. He rushes to wake his parents to share the joy (the clock at their bedside says just before 1 a.m.) but his rumpled father rises, says, “SHOO!,” and the bears all melt away. So the boy returns to bed, but his evening’s fantasies are not over yet. “I climbed in bed / and tried to sleep . . . / . . . I thought I heard / the sound of . . . / sheep!” The sheep that appears at his bedroom door wears the same kind of foolishly friendly expression as the bears, which come in all shapes, sizes, and ages and occasionally sport vests, pearls, or eyeglasses. The boy’s dad is clad in striped pajamas that match his son’s, while mom never turns over from her deep sleep. A little odd, but pretty funny. (Picture book. 4-7)
