The Deep Blue Sky Twinkles with Stars

Children should have no trouble recognizing their own families and bedtime rituals in this sprightly tale of a woodland bunny family getting ready to call it a day. Mama Bunny struggles to gather up her five little ones from a game of hide-and-seek, and Papa Bunny entices them to settle down with a story; there's washing up, extra hugs, tucking in and even late-night requests for a glass of water and a trip to the potty. Every page is filled with cuddly, wide-eyed creatures, but Szekeres never crosses the line from cute to cloying. She endows her characters with a genuine spunkiness and humor (even adults may chuckle at the sight of two bunnies perched on chamber pots while Papa awaits, yawning), and her chipper but tightly written text (just a few short lines to each page) keeps the action moving briskly along. By the time the book concludes with the littlest bunny sound asleep, dreaming ""about stories and cocoa and whiskery kisses,"" both large and small members of the audience may well be unabashedly awash in warm, fuzzy feelings. Ages 1-5. (Feb.)