No Te Preocupes Guille

PreS-Gr 2-Young bear Horacio and his teddy bear Guille wake up one night and decide to get into mischief. After Mother falls asleep, they creep downstairs but find the dark first floor of the house noisy and frightening. As the youngster figures out the cause of each frightening sound the clock, the cat, and the fish in the fish tank he reassures Guille that he doesn't need to worry. But when they reach the kitchen and the cookie jar, La Cosa (The Thing) appears! Young listeners will almost certainly identify with the ""safe"" thrill provided by the various things that do not sleep, and should feel comforted by the warmth and coziness of the illustrations. Likewise, they should enjoy guessing what is making each sound and who ""The Thing"" (Horacio's mother) really is. Excellent for pairing with such nighttime books as David McPhail's The Bear's Toothache (Little Brown, 1972) and Mercer Mayer's Una pesadilla en mi armario (There's a Nightmare in My Closet, Santillana, 2000), this has the advantage of being firmly rooted in ordinary events, rather than stepping over into fantasy. Coop Renner, Paul C. Moreno Elementary, El Paso, TX