The Night Ones

In the dark of night, five city dwellers get off the ``night bus,'' headed for their jobs. One man cleans offices, another is a doorman at a posh hotel. Honey rolls and shapes dough in a bakery, while Amelia labors in an airport control tower and Cap loads cargo onto large ships. When dawn breaks, these nocturnal workers return home on the bus. Undoubtedly, some children will be intrigued by the notion that, while they are sleeping, some grownups are busily at work. Yet Grossman's tale is a bit sluggish and her poetic language occasionally obscure: ``Amelia turns her back on the office that circles the world.'' Dabcovich's ( Sleepy Bear ; Mrs. Huggins and Her Hen Hannah ) pictures successfully capture the golden glow--and the near-quiet--of a city at night. Ages 4-8. ( Mar. )