Little Bunny's Sleepless Night

Like Goldilocks trying out successive porridge servings, chairs and beds until she finds the one that is just right, so Little Bunny, an ""only"" rabbit faced with loneliness at bedtime, hops away from home in search of ""the company of a good friend."" Welcomed with open arms wherever he goes, he nevertheless finds that the accommodations never quite measure up--Squirrel's place is too noisy, what with all the nut-cracking, Skunk's is too smelly, Porcupine's too prickly and so on. In the end, he returns eagerly to his own bed for some proper shut-eye. Roth's (Whose Mess Is This?) breezy style is right on target for this merry bedtime tale, which also serves as a gentle reminder to nocturnal migrants that there truly is no place like one's own bed. Gorbachev's (Nicky and the Big Bad Wolves) pen-and-ink and watercolor artwork has a homespun coziness, which is amplified by his busy use of line and crosshatching. Generously tinted with humor, the illustrations radiate security as they offer up a cheerful menagerie of animal friends decked out in pajamas. This picture book scores high points on the snuggle scale and is just the ticket for the train to Nod. Ages 4-7. (Mar.)