Happy dreams, Little Bunny

PreS-Gr 1--One night, sleepless Little Bunny pitter-patters down the dark stairs, clutching a beloved stuffed animal, Elephant. Little Bunny finds Mommy illuminated by the glow of her computer, and begins asking questions about growing up. Mommy validates the big worries of her small child, saying, "I can see why your thoughts are keeping you up." The mother suggests that Little Bunny instead think about dreaming, and a journey begins that combines the adventure of Where the Wild Things Are and the tenderness of Goodnight Moon. With Elephant, Little Bunny hitches a ride on a bumblebee over a late afternoon field of purple flowers, sprouts wings, soars into the air over the sea, and ventures to the moon and back. Little Bunny is depicted as gender-neutral in a long-sleeve yellow onesie, and an identifying pronoun is never used. Hong's text is dialogue only, which feels a little limiting compared to the soft, surrealist whimsy of her pastel, pencil, crayon, and graphite illustrations. VERDICT Cozy and well intentioned, this winsome story is an additional purchase.--Emily Brush, Novi P. L, MI

Worried Little Bunny can't sleep and seeks reassurance from mother. Little Bunny fears staying small and never growing big enough to do anything. Mommy is totally supportive, engaging her little one in imagining what could be and urging her little one to visualize it all in dreams. Little Bunny gives it a try, though insisting that a beloved toy elephant be a constant companion in those dreams. Maybe they'll pretend they're giants, or stay small enough to ride on a bumblebee, or even grow their own wings, and have lots of brave adventures, soaring over oceans or visiting outer space. Of course they will always come home to read books with Mommy. Little Bunny is finally ready for bed, with Elephant already there, dreams awaiting. The tale is told entirely in dialogue, with Mommy's words appearing in italics to distinguish them from Little Bunny's. Mommy's tone is calm, thoughtful, and always encouraging, with Little Bunny open to suggestions and ready to enlarge on the possibilities. The nighttime, indoor illustrations appear softly edged and are gently hued in grays and light greens while the imaginary sequences are more colorful, with sharper edges. Mommy is depicted wearing a dress while Little Bunny is wearing pajamas before appearing in a spacesuit in the final, fall-asleep dream. No gender is assigned to Little Bunny. Young readers and their grown-ups might add their own imaginations to the proceedings as they read the tale together in two voices. A tender, loving, nearly perfect bedtime story. (Picture book. 2-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.