WHERE DO I SLEEP?: A Pacific Northwest Lullaby

First-timers Blomgren and Gabriel team up for a tranquil bedtime poem that highlights animals of the Pacific Northwest. A series of pliant stanzas examines the sleeping habits of a dozen and a half different creatures, from sea otters and bald eagles to moose, gray whales and even anemone ("Where do I sleep? In a soft, grass-lined nest,/ Where tender spring boughs hide the place that I rest," says the Hermit Thrush"). The book ends with a child at bedtime ("Where do I sleep? In a bunk bed down low"), whose toy versions of the animals mentioned populate his top bunk. Buoyed by the repetitive refrain of "Where do I sleep?" and lovely imagery (a Gray Wolf pup sleeps on "a pillow of grass"; a Water Dipper sleeps where the rocks are "worn smooth as an old satin slipper"), Blomgren's verses go down smoothly, while oversize pages offer an expansive canvas for Gabriel's accomplished pastels. Hewing to a nature-inspired palette of soft greens, browns and blues, she employs deft line strokes and shading to suggest fur, feathers, fins and blades of grass. The selection of animals may be of particular regional interest, but this appealing collaboration deserves a wide audience. Ages 2-6. (Aug.)