25 August 2012 LUCY CAN’T SLEEP by Amy Schwartz, Roaring Brook, August 2012, 32p., ISBN: 978-1-59643-543-8

“Lucy,

Dolly, and Bear

Go into the kitchen,

Open the door,

And look in the fridge.”

Lucy cannot sleep, so she escapes the confines of her bed, embarks on a search for her best stuffed buddies, and then forages for a snack.  Her quietly mischievous hijinks in the middle of the night -- supported by her beloved companions -- are a joy to watch.

“A quiet room,

In a quiet house,

A squeaky door,

The back porch.”

After raiding the fridge, Lucy settles in a comfy, pillow-filled porch swing, a look of bliss across her face as a lullaby plays from a distant, unseen radio. 

But her escapades are not yet complete, for her real-life dog appears and this spurs a hunt for costume accessorizing and makeup that leads, in turn, to quiet dancing and spinning.

Finally, the inevitable yawns break the surface, and a return to bed completes the evening’s activities.

Amy Schwartz’s watercolor and ink illustrations make Lucy’s house an eyeful of warm, safe, and gentle wonderment, the perfect place for a little girl’s quiet adventuring in the middle of the night. 

Richie Partington, MLIS
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