Good Night, Pippin

A young bear named Pippin isn't sleepy, and asks for a bedtime story about himself as a baby. Mama obliges, telling him about the time the pirates took Pippin away, and she came to his rescue. Then she tells him about the time Papa saved Pippin from an evil wizard. Finally, when the Galatians landed and sprayed Mama and Papa with their freeze beams, Pippin staved off the wicked bunch by playing his tambourine. Pippin can go to sleep at last. Goodman's watercolor illustrations of the bear at home are warmly reassuring, as is the gentle dialogue between Pippin and his mother. But some of the fantasy sequences are potentially quite frightening. Conquering pirates may not be soothing to a reader who'd rather not face them in the first place. There is a sweet story at this book's core, if only little ones will remember that Pippin, despite all dangers, will always be safe. (3-6)