Review by Booklist Review
PreS. Some parents advocate "cosleeping" with infants and toddlers to strengthen family bonds; this book, however, emerges from the opposite (and perhaps more widespread) perspective on kids in the marital bed. As evening falls, a mom and dad first tuck in pets, then tenderly bid Charlie and his infant sister good-night. But seconds later a forlorn Charlie appears outside of Mommy and Daddy's closed door: "I want to sleep in YOUR bed!" Even after both parents gently reason with him, Charlie still can't fall asleep--but instead of making another fuss, he plays a pretending game that helps him to relax. Parents striving for independent sleeping arrangements will appreciate Charlie's modeling of self-soothing techniques, while Kreloff's childlike crayon-and-collage artwork, which casts Charlie and his family as charming anthropomorphic beagles, helps soften the somewhat uncompromising message. A calm, direct presentation of an issue affecting many families. --Jennifer Mattson Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-In this dog family, the pets and the baby willingly succumb to sleep in their beds when darkness falls. But young Charlie refuses to be alone and stands outside his parents' bedroom crying, "`I want to sleep in your bed!'" Even though the puppy's mother and father take turns explaining why he needs to stay in his room, he cannot drop off. His mother tells him a story, tucks him in again, and leaves the room. Finally understanding that he needs to remain there, the pup quietly entertains himself by playing with a stuffed animal. While telling the toy a story, he falls asleep. Childlike, mixed-media illustrations depict lamps giving off golden rays of light, sleeping animals softly emitting the "zzzzzz" of slumber, and the shining moon and stars hovering outside every window. A gentle tale about a hard-learned lesson.-Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
The bunny is in its cage, the lights are out, all members of a middle-class suburban dog family are in bed--but pup Charlie can't sleep. The not exactly mind-blowing resolution hardly exonerates the stock premise, but there's something wonderful about Ziefert's economy and Kreloff's crayon drawings, in which broad, bold, childlike strokes meet an accomplished sense of composition. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
