First-time author Rydell offers up a pleasingly symmetrical, quietly playful bedtime story. In prose evocative of a summer's night, she describes what happens when one girl lies awake late at night, her ears filled with Mockingbird's song. When the wind fails to coax the child into slumber, it appeals to Mockingbird for silence. But the night bird can't help singing as long as music is coming from Cricket (shown in top hat and tails, playing a fiddle). Cricket, in turn, responds to the strumming of Frog (``lost in the beat, with a night full of rhythm in his hands and feet''), who is inspired by Moth's dancing under delicate moonshine. Through the wind's intervention, Moon stops shining, night creatures surrender to stillness one by one and the youngster drifts to sleep. Softly lit in subtle green tones, Jorgensen's colored-pencil drawings enliven the night music with jovial characters, including a mischievous, crater-pocked Moon. Gently beguiling. Ages 2-8. (Mar.)
