PreS-"The sky was dark. The stars were bright. Each Huffle fast asleep that night." Except for Jack, who hears a "roar of a snore" and rouses Old Hound Blue, who is snoring. But the noise continues, and dog and boy set off to find its source, awakening each successive snorer. The crowd grows to include Mama Gwyn, Sweet Baby Sue, Papa Ben, the twins Josie Jo and Jennie Lynn, and the sheep and goat and cow and the hens. As they gather in the barn, they discover that the sound is coming from a tired and homeless kitten who is fast asleep in the hay. Finally, all gather round and fall asleep. Pratt's acrylic illustrations help to create a pace that perfectly complements the rhyming, cumulative text. The details of the pictures, done in vivid, warm colors, add motion and energy to the story. A must-have for all libraries.-Rebecca Sheridan, Easttown Library & Information Center, Berwyn, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Though it may sound like the still of the night at the Huffle's house, ("The sky was dark, the stars were bright," the book begins), someone is snoring big-time. "A mighty snore!/ A clamorous snore!/ A thundering, ear-splitting,/ Roar of a snore!" declares Arnold (Prancing, Dancing Lily) in quasi-Homeric mode. Moving through the darkened house which Pratt (Where's Pup?) niftily evokes with a noir-ish palette and lighting a posse led by young Jack eliminates the usual suspects one by one. Pratt's elongated, hyper-angular characters possess a kind of goofy, robotic quality that heightens the absurdity of their quest; he also gets some comic mileage out of the instantly recognizable ways family members hit the sack (a toddler splayed in her crib, Dad snoozing slack-jawed in a comfy chair). Following the RRRRRRRRRRRs floating through the night air, the family finally traces the sound to the barn, where a tiny stray kitten sleeps in a sea of hay, "snoring all his cares away." Readers, like the Huffles, will be won over by the kitty, with whom the entire family decides to bed down in the barn: "One giant Snore sailed through the night." The book serves as essentially one extended joke, but a good one (especially for kids living with a snorer), and provides confirmation once again that Pratt is a singular talent. Ages 4-up. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Rhythm, rhyme, repetition and a charming surprise ending (with an amusing coda) make this a likely winner with the preschool set. From sleepless Jack, who first hears the enormous snore, to Mama Gwyn, Baby Sue, Papa Ben, twins Josie Jo and Jennie Lynn (inexplicably sleeping on the porch swing), and ending with a barn full of animals, all are intent on searching for the source of the snore. The unlikely culprit? A tiny lost kitten, asleep in the hayloft. Pratt's paintings offer slightly off-kilter perspectives and feature somewhat blocky figures. The lack of much background detail keeps the focus squarely on the action, while dark tones reinforce the night-time setting. The repeated cumulative refrain will encourage audience participation, whether listeners are in a group at storytime or enjoying a private nighttime read-aloud. Listeners will also enjoy speculating on just what neighbor Molly Olsen does when she hears the snore. Simple and satisfying. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.