Bedtime Rhyme

In a series of rhymes, Wangerin (Probity Jones and the Fear Not Angel) dispels a child's fear of the dark by teaching the lessons of God's love and presence. As the rhymes begin, a mother responds to her son's question: ""How much do I love you?/ Lay down your head,/ My gingerbread,/ And listen: I'll tell you."" She elaborates by telling him that if robbers should come into the room, ""I'd clobber those robbers/ Until they slobbered/ And all their teeth decayed."" If her son is threatened by monsters, ""I'd grab my reaper,/ My vacuum sweeper,/ And suck those monsters down!"" After she reassures him that she will protect him against all things, the mother then tells her son, ""Here in your room/ All night while you're sleeping,/ Kinder and wiser/ And best for safekeeping/ Is God."" Huang's illustrations capture the wildness of the child's imagination and provide just the right background for Wangerin's humorous rhymes. Ages 5-8. (Oct.)