You need rest mode tonight,> Moon tried again, internally this time, more snarled than comforting despite his position as the Naptime Attendant. He couldn't help it, he was frustrated. Sun was driving him crazy with all of his anxiety, and the hammering of the torrent on the roof of the Pizzaplex was already enough to set him on edge. He drummed his fingertips against the sides of the barrels before leaping off again, crawling on all fours along the floor. Not that this is going to happen. Besides, he tries to scold himself with the rational part of his brain, he’s used to taking care of himself. This is a really sweet book about a fearful Little Mouse who shares a room with Big Mouse, listening to the various sounds of the quite night, howling of wind, hooting of an owl, tapping of branches and thinking instead that its ghosts, and other imaginary intruders. He asks Big Mouse if he can come to his bed but each time, the reluctant Big Mouse climbs out of his comfortable bed to reassure him that it’s not the case and thinks of a reason why Little Mouse cannot come to his bed. However, having done this for a number of times and finally when Little Mouse says he’s lonely the Big Mouse readily allows him to hop into bed. It’s a fantastic depiction of a young child’s fears ring true while Big Mouse’s patient explanations of comfort provide a forum through which children can safely explore their nighttime jitters. He could feel Sun's hesitance, but also the slight relaxation of his hold over Moon's running processors. <...it is quieter in here,> he finally agreed.

Genre Specific Characteristics: Story with a lot of imagination; a plot that is simple, clear and brief; illustrations portray the setting and establish a connection to the location, including time and place as well as creating a mood; the theme is related to a child’s understanding and helps them to deal with a problem situation; words are carefully selected to create vivid imagery and mood; elements of humor are mixed it to lighten the mood a little; animals that talk and act like people but still portray some traditional animal traits and setting. Another deafening boom shook the walls of the daycare, causing Moon to leap up several feet in surprise for about the twentieth time that night. The summer storm overhead had been raging for hours, and the thunder and lightning was near constant. The Pizzaplex still had power, for now, though it was nearing two in the morning and the daycare's lights were off, leaving Moon in charge. What’s wrong?” he asks immediately, grabbing Eddie’s arm and pulling him inside when Eddie doesn’t immediately step forwards on his own. you should use this tent with the kids,> Sun offered, a little embarrassed, a little deflecting, overwhelmingly grateful. Moon gave a soft, audible shh in response before resuming his tune. It hadn’t been dark when he had fallen asleep, he thinks, though he can’t really remember for sure. Anyway, it’s dark now but he’s awake and he feels even worse than he had before he’d fallen asleep, which he wouldn’t have thought was possible. His head feels weird and thinking is difficult. He should do something about this, but he’s in no condition to figure out what.

He very slowly strips out of his wet clothes and shoes, then dries himself off for a second, much more successful, time. Once he’s mostly dry, he sets about getting dressed. I keep my threads tidy enough, thank you!> Sun replied stiffly, momentarily distracted out of his anxiety by the utter audacity. But this means he’s completely alone. He half wishes he could trade places with Chris, really, he thinks, as he lies atop his sweaty sheets with his face pressed into a pillow. He’s miserable enough to want to be in the presence of someone who cares about him. Someone who will put a hand to his forehead and touch his hair and bring him water so he doesn’t have to drag himself to the kitchen while trying his hardest not to pass out. Description: Little Mouse, the main character we follow, feels scared when he lies in bed at night. From the sound of the wind, tapping branches, the hoot of an owl and all the bumps in the night, he struggles to fall asleep. Although he asks Big Mouse to come in his bed every time he gets scared, Big Mouse does not want to share his bed and is determined that Little Mouse should sleep alone. After being woken every single time Little Mouse is scared, Big Mouse eventually is so exhausted he lets Little Mouse in his bed and they both sleep soundly.

Thinking may be hard, but Eddie’s not stupid even so. He knows he can’t drive like this. So he’ll just have to walk. He knows the way.He’s just passed a restaurant that he recognizes as being roughly the halfway point between their houses when everything goes from bad to worse. Moon paused for a moment, silently calculating, and drew himself up to full height. "2,378 open processes," he replied aloud. It starts to rain. And it’s not a drizzle, either. Thunder rolls across the sky and lightning flashes and within seconds it’s pouring. The cold rain soaks Eddie to the core and for a few moments it actually feels good, because he’s definitely not sweating anymore. But then the coldness catches up to him and he starts shaking and he’s probably never been this cold in his whole life. He wants to sit down. He wants to crawl into his bed and fall asleep. He wants someone to wrap him in a blanket and pull him inside and hold him until he stops shivering.

As if on cue, a bolt of lightning arced the sky outside and the thunder rattled the very floor of the Pizzaplex. Moon jumped, Sun shrieked, and it distracted him into a misstep on the landing; his ankle joint caught on his other foot and he tumbled forward, head over jingly heels, face first into the ball pit. By the time he was done, it had really taken shape. A large tent made of a hapdash mishmash of different items, piled high with essentially all of the fabric available in the daycare. A colorful mix of blankets hung off of the sides, dotted occasionally with the odd princess dress or cowboy pants. Idea: The character and plot of this story is easy for children to connect with and have an interest in as it is a common problem for most youth to be scared at night. Sorry, sorry,> he whimpered in response, strung tighter than a violin and twice as screechy. Sentence Fluency: There is rhythm and flow in repetition of words in this text as well as a use of words in which readers are not stopped to decode meaning. A bonus too, as a co-sleeping family, it has also really helped to teach our son about different sleeping spaces - he’s just upgraded to his own bed (next to mummy’s side of course!) but he understands that if he wants to come into big mouses (our) bed, he can! It’s made the transition that much easier :) Diana Hendry grew up by the sea and has worked as a journalist, English teacher and tutor in Creative Writing at the University of Bristol. Her poetry has won a number of awards including first prize in the 1996 Housman Society Competition. From 1997-1998 she was Writer in Residence at Dumfries & Galloway Royal Infirmary. She lives in Edinburgh.

Sun yelped, but this time, Moon didn't jump -- the sound of the storm was muffled by the layers and layers around them, the thunder brought down from a deafening roar to a deep, low rumble. Moon's eyes narrowed to slits and he tilted his faceplate again. Sun,> he growled, frustrated. But Sun wasn't paying attention, softly whimpering instead. Moon softened and hesitated, listening, feeling for his other half. <...Sun?> Conventions: There is a lot of punctuation in this book used properly, which would help support a better understanding of the function of punctuation in writing.Probably not, if he’s honest. He still feels physically quite bad. He’s shivering ever so slightly and the achiness and exhaustion are absolutely bone-deep. But. He isn’t alone. He could feel Sun pull away, like a wave ebbing from the shore, freeing up resources. Memory slots opened, closing open processes, relaxing. He could feel Sun's confusion as he climbed inside, sealing the tent behind him. He took a seat cross-legged on the floor, lit by the gentle glow of the sun-ball in front of him. The tent was wide enough underneath that the both of them could fit together, if such a thing were possible, but only just tall enough that Moon had to sit a little slumped. You can put on these clothes,” he offers, gesturing to the pile on the counter. “They’re mostly yours, so they should fit.”