TEN OUT OF BED
by Penny Dale & illustrated by Penny Dale
A bedtime fantasy about a tousled little boy, dressed in red sleepers, and the nine stuffed animals who play imaginative games with him (``TRAINS!'' ``PIRATES!'' ``GHOSTS!'') until, one by one, they fall asleep. Like ``Ten in a Bed,'' the story provides a good exercise in reverse counting and prediction for preschoolers. The author's whimsical colored-pencil-and-watercolor art is filled with humorous details: a rabbit eating a carrot sandwich; a scene (``Let's play ACTING!'') from The Nutcracker, with a crocodile in the title role; or, on the pirate ship, a sheep-and-crossbones flag. (Picture book. 3-5)