MUSICAL BEDS

A trio of tots keeps a weary Dad running in this tale of nocturnal wanderings. A shivery shadow dancing across a wall, the whispering of the wind through the trees causes two of the children to sound out the evening alarm. Yet not even Daddy’s comforting words can calm the frightened sisters and soon they are scurrying for the safe haven of their parents’ bed. What’s a dad to do when his bed is full of sleeping offspring? Nothing but hunker down in a pint-sized bunk bed and make the best of it. When a driving need for companionship sends the last tot scampering into the tiny bed with Dad, Dad knows it’s time for everyone to go back where they belong. By the time Mom returns home, all of her loved ones are snuggled up in their own beds just where they belong. Like her readers, the children of Bergman’s tale know that Mom and Dad’s bed offers sanctuary to every timid or lonely little soul. Her whimsical descriptions of the tykes snoozing in their beds, “quiet as a carrot,” “cozy as a caterpillar,” and “snug as a snail,” are bound to elicit giggles. Newcomer Pottie’s vividly hued illustrations are a vibrant counterpoint to the text. Her cartoon-style characters fill the pages with a benign, amiable presence. Perfect to share just before toddling off to the right bed. (Picture book. 3-7)