December 2000

DREAMING: A COUNTDOWN TO SLEEP Elaine Greenstein New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2000 32 pages, hardcover, $15.95 Reading level: Baby-Preschool ISBN: 0-439-06302-7 Reviewed by Lynne Lamberg

This bedtime story and counting book has a lovely hypnotic quality. From "Ten silent houses, everyone sleeping," to "Nine trees bending in windy yards," "Eight leaves airborne, whirling, swirling," it progresses with satisfying inevitability to "One lone swan curling into the moon." The charming paintings by artist/author Elaine Greenstein flow gently from one page to the next, with the stars and swirls reminiscent of Van Gogh's Starry Night, though far more tranquil. Five fluffy clouds of summer rain hover over branches containing four luscious peaches, as three foxes flit by. As the countdown concludes, a two-page spread brings all the images together. At the end, the child and her teddy bear snuggle in bed nearly asleep, waiting for the final whispered "Pleasant Dreams."

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