Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-Through a string of comedic encounters with several animals, from a dinosaur to a bison, a brown-skinned boy gets ready for bed, often with disastrous results. After cautioning readers not to do such things as "use a tiger as a towel" or "share your toothbrush with a shark," the story determines that, instead of a herd of wild animals, children should "stick to ONE teddy" at bedtime, along with a "flock of sheep," which are pictured in the boy's dreams. With plenty of slapstick, this humorous picture book is sure to elicit laugher from children, who will delight in the silly antics of the animals and the poor child who has to endure them all. While the boy crosses paths with some dangerous and ferocious beasts, the characters are drawn in a cartoonlike, comical style, which makes them appear appropriately buffoonish rather than scary. Unfortunately, the story is marred by a handful of awkward rhymes, such as "And build a great big beaver dam, and/fill that whole thing up with salmon" and "Because the first thing that you'll learn'll/Be a barn owl is nocturnal." VERDICT Despite some stylistic problems, the amusing concept and expressive, brightly colored illustrations are enough to make this an enjoyable and funny read for little ones at bedtime.-Laura J. Giunta, Garden City Public Library, NY © Copyright 2014. 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
Tigers are not made of cotton, / And although they're furred quite thickly / They can get mad very quickly." A young boy learns that outlandish animals, such as a Tyrannosaurus rex or a tiger, are not conducive to bedtime. (A teddy bear is a better option.) Though Edwards's slapstick rhymes lumber along, bright illustrations convey the silly cautionary tale's over-the-top action. (c) Copyright 2015. 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.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Rhyming text and boisterous art combine to deliver a string of humorous mini-cautionary tales leading up to a peaceful bedtime.Opening spreads explain that it's a poor idea to invite a dinosaur to dinner "Because a T. rex is ferocious / And his manners are atrocious, / And you'll find that if he's able // He will eat the kitchen table!" The art accompanying this text depicts a young boy observing the T. Rex's dinnertime antics while his mother looks on, aghast, and then faints. The text makes no comment regarding race or culture, but the illustrations depict mother and child with brown skin and dark hairand these aren't pusillanimous, tokenistic representations that give way to multicultural depictions of diverse children in subsequent scenes. Instead, ensuing pages follow the same boy through his nighttime routine and warn against sharing one's toothbrush with a shark, letting a beaver in a sink, using a tiger for a towel, choosing a bison for a blanket and letting a barn owl in one's bed. Humorous consequences for such scenarios are described in the text while illustrations rendered in bright colors and with energetic lines enhance the comic mood. As the boy hunkers down for sleep at book's end, a teddy bear is deemed an acceptable animal companion for drifting off to sleep, and a herd of sheep for counting creates a pleasing closing scene. A silly bedtime read. (Picture book. 3-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
