Who's Not Asleep? by Shirley Hillard Ages 4-8 24 pages Mamoo House October 2004 Hardcover     Author and artist Shirely Hillard uses big, bold, deep-hued sweeping colors to tickle the fancy of young children with short attention spans who hunger for a fun story and plenty of visual eye candy. And from the reaction of my own little toddler, Max, Hillard succeeds with her whimsical and soothing bedtime book, “Who’s Not Asleep?” Awarded Best Children’s Book of 2004 at the national DIY Book Festival, “Who’s Not Asleep?” asks that most important of questions for any parent with kids under the age of six, and answers it by showing first who IS asleep, including a darling bunch of backyard critters and creatures of the wild. But once all the mice and robins and ponies and squirrels are safely tucked away under the starry, starry night sky, it’s up to one adorable red-haired girl to put the final touch on the story. Hillard, who holds a Master of Fine Arts degree and is a nationally recognized sculptor, painter and writer of movies and plays, was inspired to write “Who’s Not Asleep?” for her own red-haired granddaughter, Sara, but this charming book is perfect for any little one who loves to be kissed goodnight and tucked into bed with a good story to send him or her off to dreamland.     web reviews   Marie D. Jones/2005 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)