Stories of the Night

PreS-Gr 2—Three gentle fairy-tale bedtime stories that children will find endearing. Little Bear does her best to persuade her mother to tell three stories before bedtime. Mother Bear obliges and begins with the story of the Night Guardian who makes sure all of the forest creatures go to sleep. She bangs her gong when the moon rises and quietly convinces the animals that it's time for them to go to bed. When all are tucked in, who will tell the Night Guardian that it's time to go to sleep? Next, Little Bear requests a tale about a little girl with the sword who gets lost in the woods. Zhora's mother has sent her children into the forest to find delicious blackberries. When she is unable to find any, Zhora decides to go deeper into the woods to search. She strays too far and can't find her way out. Who will help her and where will she rest for the night? For the third and final story, Little Bear chooses the tale about a man in the big coat who has trouble sleeping. While walking out in the woods looking for sleep, Bo meets up with his friend Otter, who writes poetry on rocks. Maybe Otter can help his friend get some rest. Originally written in German, the stories will not be familiar to many young listeners and readers. However, they're full of kind characters who are willing to help others. The colored pencil illustrations are almost childlike, with simply drawn characters and exaggerated features.