Starred Review This debut picture book gets it all just right. The story, while familiar, is executed deftly and with heart, and the crisp graphic elements of the artwork juxtapose well against the pretty prose. Little Owl, with his big, big eyes and his itty-bitty wings, is having a wonderful night as he flits between snails and stars. He watches an opossum family trek along and a skunk eating berries. Night is Little Owl's playground, but inevitably the sun must come up, and when the bats come flying home, he asks his mother to tell him again how the night ends. The moon and stars fade to ghosts. . . . Spiderwebs turn to silver threads. . . . Moonflowers close and morning glories open. The sky brightens from black to blue, blue to red, red to gold, she says, as the velvet blacks and foggy grays of the night slowly lighten to the colors of a breaking day. Cleverly, Srinivasan has turned the bedtime story upside down: now that the sun is out, it's time for sleep. Little ones who have enjoyed picking out the foxes, bears, and bunnies as the night wears on may find their own eyes closing just when Little Owl's do.

Although he enjoys watching his nocturnal forest friends come alive at night, Little Owl wants to know: "Mama...tell me again how the night ends." Her poetic response predictably lulls him to sleep. The functional story is a showcase for the notable art, which has the crisp edges of cut paper but the creamy warmth of paintings.

A graceful bedtime story celebrates the beauty found in night. Little Owl loves the night forest. He can't imagine a better place. He glides from friend to friend, watching and listening. Hedgehog snuffles for mushrooms. Turtle hides in her shell as fireflies dot the sky. But try as he might, Little Owl cannot wake Bear inside the Grumbly Cave. He snores soundly. But what if the bear has never seen stars? As morning draws near, Little Owl settles in on his branch and whispers softly to his mother, "[T]ell me again how night ends." "Spiderwebs turn to silver threads," she begins. "The sky brightens from black to blue, blue to red, red to gold." But Little Owl does not hear. His wide, innocent green eyes have already shut tight. Srinivasan's picture-book debut beckons readers to follow this curiously adorable creature through the sky. The moon and stars illuminate the dark background, and a flat palette of black, greens and browns blankets the forest in quiet stillness. More lyrical than linear, the story flits from one animal to the next. But readers won't mind. Hold on to Little Owl's tail feathers and soar. (Picture book. 2-6)

PreS-K Little Owl-almost overly cute, with huge green eyes-loves the night forest. He flutters around and observes the activities of his nocturnal neighbors. White-faced possums waddle by, bright-eyed beavers chomp on trees against the backdrop of the round moon, crickets chirp, frogs croak, and Little Owl takes it all in. Eventually he returns home, where Mama tells him his favorite story: how night becomes day. "The moon and stars fade to ghosts&30;the sky brightens from black to blue, blue to red, red to gold&30;." However, Little Owl does not hear or see it; he is fast asleep. Many young listeners will meet the same pleasant fate by way of this eye-catching, lilting, and reassuring book. Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY