When I Open My Eyes

On each spread of Grejniec's first book to be published in the U.S., a spare, pastel-hued picture illustrates a single line of text. Lying in bed, a girl closes her eyes and sees a wolf. Her next image is of a lamb, alone in a meadow. Spying the lamb, the wolf creeps toward it, and the girl warns the woolly animal: ``Run away!'' It does, and while she eats breakfast, the girl is happy because she believes the lamb escaped. But while putting on her shoes and coat in a dark closet, she again sees the wolf ``almost catching the lamb.'' The final page shows the girl walking to school, gazing at a sky filled with lamb-shaped clouds. One in particular resembles her lamb, and she asks, ``Is he really safe now?'' Children who tend to be ponderers--or who are easily frightened--will wish for a more clearly resolved conclusion. As it is, the lamb's uncertain fate may disconcert children--as well as their parents. Ages 2-6. (Nov.)