I Can't Sleep

It is not only the winsome girl on the cover of this wordless picture book who can't sleep, but her father, brother, mother and cat as well. Insomniacs will sympathize with the illustrator father who sits wide awake and round-eyed in his dark bedroom, trying unsuccessfully to work and finally being cheered by the appearance of his daughter. One by one the drowsy family members stumble to the kitchen where they have an unexpected middle-of-the-night feast and go outside to watch the stars. Before the night is over, all four are snuggled in one bed, and they fall asleep just as morning sunlight pours through the window. Dupasquier's ( Dear Daddy ; A Country Far Away ) watercolors, appropriately hushed and rumpled, have a lively cinematic quality that fully fleshes out not only the storyboard sequence of action but the characters as well. Ages 3-6. (Aug.)