Little Rabbit Goes to Sleep

Snuggling in bed with his one-eyed stuffed bunny, Little Rabbit cannot sleep. ``Outside, the night was big and dark, and he felt very small.'' Counting the mice scurrying on the rafters overhead doesn't help--nor does the sight of ``something on dark wings'' flying by his window. Scared, Little Rabbit tiptoes downstairs to the porch, where Grandpa, rocking in his chair, reassuringly invites the young rabbit to ``Come to me. We will watch the night together.'' Explaining that the darkness allows the stars to wink and the moon to shine, and that ``scary sounds'' are just crickets singing, the wise elder assuages his grandson's fears, then tucks him into bed. With her lyrical text, Johnston ( Yonder ) offers an agreeable, if somewhat treacly variation on a well-worn theme. More refreshing are Stevenson's spirited, shadow-filled pictures, revealing endearing particulars (such as various vegetable motifs found on Little Rabbit's bed, pajamas and bedroom curtains) and his hero's wide range of worried facial expressions. Ages 2-5. (Jan. )