Twilight Verses Moonlight Rhym

This uncommonly attractive volume borrows from English literature as well as contemporary writing to serve up a collection of bedtime poetry that is simultaneously soothing and thoughtful. Works by William Blake and Christina Rossetti rest smoothly next to ""Wee Willie Winkie"" and ""Star light, star bright""; in a section of prayers; Lois Rock's adaptation of the 23rd Psalm (""Dear God, you are my shepherd,/ You give me all I need..."") flows comfortably alongside traditional prayers (""Jesus, friend of little children/ Be a friend to me. ...""). The illustrations and book design are every bit as sophisticated as Joslin's editing. Pichon, like Joslin a native of Britain, demonstrates an exceptionally playful style, a little like Bee Willey's but with a cheerier palette, and her vignettes syncopate the full-bleed spreads. The layout varies, with art wending its way through text on some pages, and text wrapped around art on others (e.g., a poem by Charlotte Druitt Cole about the sun and moon appears on facing pages, its first stanza set in a circle around a sun, the second around a moon). This could easily become a bedtime favorite. Ages 2-5. (July)