Review by Booklist Review
A progressively dark and soothing nighttime blue backs up Willems' cartoon critters in this get-ready-for-bed picture book starring Cat the Cat, with cameos by among others, Pig the Pig, Giraffe the Giraffe, Crab the Crab, etc. Cat tells each of the animals, who are engaged in various nighttime pursuits (reading a book, washing up, brushing teeth, going potty), that it's time to sleep. A perfectly well-timed joke arrives courtesy of the pop-eyed owl one assumes to be Owl the Owl. He definitely isn't ready for bed, but his arrival caps off this smiles-all-around, understated tour of pre-bedtime activities.--Chipman, Ian Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Instead of the expected bemoaning of an often-dreaded activity, Cat's friends are amenable and already in the process of getting to bed. Each spread shows her announcing, "Time to sleep," which is followed by a character's name. Cat's pals all appear midway through a familiar step in the process. Sheep is reading, Pig is in the tub, Giraffe is brushing her teeth, Crab is getting a glass of water, Horse is on the toilet, and Shark is choosing a stuffed toy. Only Owl is not ready to go to bed, and young readers will delight in letting everyone know why. As the animals drift off, Owl is left on a perch, watching over them. The real magic of this title is in Willems's illustrations. The spread with Cat and Horse in the bathroom has Cat with a pink blush on her cheeks, toes pointed inward with her right foot stacked on top of her left, and her tail is in a knot. The message of embarrassment is simple and clear. On the spread with Shark, piled among the stuffed animals is Pigeon. These are the details that children will relish and will lead them to invest in the characters and in the series.-Stacy Dillon, LREI, New York City (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
As in her previous early-early reader appearances (Cat the Cat, Who Is That?; Let's Say Hi to Friends Who Fly!, rev. 5/10), Cat the Cat strolls through this book, exchanging pleasantries with her animal friends. This time she's giving everyone the heads-up that bedtime is nigh and helping each with some part of the going-to-bed process. She brings Pig the Pig a bath towel, gets a glass of water for Crab the Crab, and makes sure Shark the Shark has his stuffed animal. The characters cheerily acknowledge Cat; in a scene sure to amuse and resonate with the audience, Horse the Horse says, "I'm on it!" when an embarrassed Cat walks in on him sitting on the potty. The story's momentum comes to a crashing halt (you can practically hear the screechy sound effects) when Cat happens upon Owl the Owl, eyes like headlights. "Never mind...," she says and joins her six sleepy pals (plus wide-awake Owl) for an under-the-stars campout in sleeping bags. Unlike the subdued colors of the Elephant Piggie easy readers, Willems goes for a more rich and vibrant palette in these books, though uncluttered pages still help the newest readers focus on the words, speech balloons, and the expressive characters on each page. (A subtle yet effective touch: beginning with the front endpapers, the blue background of each spread grows progressively darker throughout the book, signaling the approaching night.) Owl's final bon mot, delivered to the slumbering group, is perfectly set up over two double-page spreads. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
