K-Gr 3 In this picture book, English children of Shiverhawk Hall scamper down from portrait frames at night and are quite naughty, except for two look-alike girls, who seem to be almost perfect. The youngsters, who vary in age and time period, stand perfectly still during the day, but when people are asleep they come out and on this particular night make a mess with "trifle" and "treacly goo." Reminiscent of the moving portraits in the Harry Potter movies, Green's digitally altered full-color pencil illustrations are similar in style to Maurice Sendak's In the Night Kitchen and add to the magical scene. Though not a typical picture book for an American audience, it would be fun to use to talk about portraits or imagination or to offer to readers who want something a bit spooky to read. VERDICT An additional purchase for larger picture book collections. Jane Hebert, Glenside Public Library District, Glendale Heights, IL

Children's literature has a strong tradition of books with nursery toys that come to life after dark. Here Green tweaks the formula to imagine children whose true natures may not have been as angelic as their images on canvas would suggest. The former child inhabitants of Shiverhawk Hall are now confined to prim and proper portraits hanging on the wall. After dark they come to life, climbing out of their paintings, racing down hallways, gorging on trifle and cakes, and bouncing off feather beds. The mayhem continues until just before dawn, when everyone returns to his or her proper place inside the nursery paintings. The overly sweet, rhyming text serves as an effective counterpoint to the children's raucous behavior and devilish stares. Green's digitally colored charcoal-and-graphite artwork portrays plump, pampered youngsters who have mastered the art of feigned goodness ing seen and not heard en as they contravene that behavior at every opportunity. Pair with Jon Agee's The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau (1988) for another look at magical paintings.