Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go to Sleep

Every little bunny should have a brother as kind and thoughtful as Willa's big brother Willoughby. When Willa can't sleep because she is so afraid of bad dreams, her brother leans down from the top bunk to encourage his little sister to think happy thoughts... about her chicken slippers, her blue-and-white jumpsuit, and tomorrow's anticipated pleasures. That very night, Willoughby takes Willa on a piggy-back ride around the cozy tree house to check on her breakfast food, her toys in their basket, and the quiet world sleeping outside, all the while explaining in soft, soothing tones how everything in their snug little world is waiting for the next morning to unfold. He tells her that the morning is waiting "For grass to grow, flowers to bloom, and leaves to flutter. For clouds to float, wind to blow, and sun to shine. For birds to fly, bees to buzz, and ducks to quack." "'That's a lot of happy things,' said Willa." Joyce Dunbar knows just how to set the scene for sleep, and Debi Gliori's charming, expressive bunnies are very, very cute. (Click to see a sample spread. From Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go to Sleep by Joyce Dunbar, illustration ©1998 by Debi Gliori, reproduced by permission of Harcourt Brace & Company.) (Ages 3 to 6) --Marcie Bovetz