Bedtime for Mommy

by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, LeUyen Pham (Illustrator)

Overview

Bestselling and beloved author Amy Krouse Rosenthal teams up with bestselling illustrator LeUyen Pham to put a funny and charming spin on bedtime.

When it's Mommy's bedtime, she begs her little girl —

"Five more minutes?"

"Ok, but then brush your teeth!"

But then Mommy wants another glass of water . . . another story . . . luckily this little girl is very patient!

A hilarious reversal of the classic bedtime routine in which a little girl puts Mommy (and then Daddy) to bed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781599903415
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	04/01/2010
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,086,723
Product dimensions:	9.60(w) x 9.58(h) x 0.34(d)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

LeUyen Pham has illustrated more than one hundred books for children, including the Caldecott Honor book Bear Came Along by Richard T. Morris and the bestselling Princess in Black series by Shannon and Dean Hale. She is the co-creator, along with Shannon Hale, of the bestselling graphic memoirs Real Friends, Best Friends, and Friends Forever. Her own books include The Bear Who Wasn't There and Big Sister, Little Sister. A graduate of the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, LeUyen lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons.

Editorial Reviews

It takes a loving but firm child to get a recalcitrant Mommy to bed—at least, that's how the little heroine of this tables-turned tale sees it. Mommy pulls out every trick in the book—including asking to be read two bedtime books instead of one (in one of several jokes aimed at adults, the evening's text is Anna Karenina). But the little girl never loses her voice of knowing authority. “Did you brush your teeth?” writes Rosenthal (Duck! Rabbit!). “A nice long time?” The always terrific Pham (Freckleface Strawberry) strikes just the right tone with her domestic satire (Mommy's highly physical critiques of the wardrobe choices for the next day have clearly been drawn from life). In fact, it's that very physicality—seeing an adult behaving in such recognizably childish ways (dancing with glee when the bath toys arrive) while the small girl affects a maternal persona (delivering an exhausted “Phew!” when all is said and done)—that is most likely to strike a chord with kids. But as clever as the book is, there isn't much to invite repeated readings. Ages 3-5. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"The book feels familiar right away without losing its sense of surprise—such a pleasure to read." - Daniel Handler in The New York Times on LITTLE HOOT

"Deliciously charming." - Publishers Weekly on COOKIES

"The fantastic illustrations by LeUyen Pham bring Freckleface to life." - dailystroll.com on FRECKLEFACE STRAWBERRY

From the Publisher

A wry role-reversal tale finds a freckle-faced little girl cajoling her mother into bed. After granting her mom "five more minutes" at her desk, the tot gets her into the tub, helps her pick out tomorrow's outfit and reads her a book (just one-Anna Karenina-because "it's getting late"). A glass of water and a kiss later, this determined little girl is ready for the next task: "Daddy! Time for bed!" Rosenthal's text consists entirely of dialogue in speech bubbles, which makes way for Pham's ink-and-watercolor vignettes to milk the situation for all it's worth. Mommy's body language and expressions are so thoroughly childlike despite their entirely adult proportions that both kids and adults will find themselves giggling. It's a game played out in families everywhere and executed very well here. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews

PreS-K—In this reversal of roles in the bedtime routine, a mother tries all the familiar stall tactics when her daughter announces, "Time for bed, Mommy!" She tries everything from a plea for five more minutes to a final drink of water and the door left slightly ajar. The story is told in short sentences that fit neatly into dialogue balloons. The perky watercolor and ink cartoon-style illustrations on white backgrounds speak as clearly as the text. Some pages are wordless and allow readers to tell the story themselves. Little girls in particular will love sharing this bedtime story with their mothers.—Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH

School Library Journal