Huddle Up! Cuddle Up!

by Bethany Hegedus, Michael Deas (Illustrator)

Overview

The countdown to bedtime has begun. If you want to snooze, you can't lose in this football/bedtime mash-up!

It's Sunday night, football night, and the countdown clock to bedtime is winding down. Will the Dream Team be able to get to bed on time? First there's the pre-game warm-up in the bath, then it's time to get suited up in pajamas, and don't forget your fancy footwork. After some interference from the family dog and a full-counter sweep of the kitchen, it's time to huddle up and cuddle up for a bedtime story time-out!

Award-winning author Bethany Hegedus shows how football time equals family time in this hilarious twist on the bedtime ritual. Young football fans will finally want to huddle up and get ready for bed because sleep time has never been so much fun!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593115633
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	08/25/2020
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
Lexile:	AD320L (what's this?)
File size:	44 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Bethany Hegedus is an award-winning author of picture books and middle-grade novels, including Grandfather Gandhi and Alabama Spitfire. A former educator, she teaches widely and enjoys mentoring young writers. Hegedus is owner and creative director of the Writing Barn, a writing workshop and retreat center. She lives with her family in Austin, Texas.

Mike Deas is the author of The Buddy Bench. He lives with his family on sunny Salt Spring Island, BC.

Editorial Reviews

"Sports fans will love the idea of gathering the family together for a “Story-Time-Out” as they settle their children for a nap or at night. A cute read for any family that is missing out on sports (or needs a change-up in their bedtime reading)." —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

07/10/2020

K-Gr 2—A fun, football-loving family ends their weekend with a raucous routine, similar to the antics in Friday Night Wrestlefest. Two biracial children and their parents (dad is white, mom is Black) come home from the big game on a Sunday night and extend the play by making a game of cleaning up and bedtime prep. In a combination of an announcer's calls and speech bubbles, they dive into bath time, spin through the laundry, and launch into bed, all before the clock runs out. Lively brush pen and watercolor illustrations, similar to those of Matthew Cordell, are loose and light. The family, including a shaggy black dog, make up the focus of the pages. What little decor appears in the home is humorously football-driven (ball-themed wallpaper, playing field bathmat, etc.). Fans with high attention to detail may recognize the light blue jerseys and the name on the dog's bowl ("Marino") as associated with the Miami Dolphins. While the family is completely in love with the game, the illustrations carefully yet subtly show that they are not single-minded. In the end, after a "story time-out," the parents whisper what is surely a nightly refrain: "Open hearts. Closed eyes. Night. Night." VERDICT An interesting take on the sports theme, this playful romp, with a family genuinely delighting in one another's company and celebrating their love of the game, will be popular in picture book collections.—Clara Hendricks, Cambridge P.L., MA

School Library Journal

2020-06-30
There’s nothing that brings a family together with excitement and energy quite like sports.

This bedtime routine is anything but boring as the coaches (also known as parents) help their kids get ready for bed. As soon as the family enters the house it is a rush to complete the sports-themed Sunday-night bedtime routine. Each page incorporates sport terms and, often, football plays as they hustle. They need to get clothes from the laundry (Dad hikes an armful through his legs to an enthusiastic youngster), brush their teeth (in unison, to a stopwatch), take a bath (which begins like a Gatorade dunk), and of course tidy up (all in record time, of course). The family dog even plays a special part in making sure the team gets the ball over the goal line—watch out for “unnecessary ruffness.” Sports fans will love the idea of gathering the family together for a “Story-Time-Out” as they settle their children for a nap or at night. Most of the sports terms incorporated are football-related, but an occasional basketball or hockey term helps keep up the frantic pace. Deas’ movement-filled cartoons depict a Black-appearing mom, a White-appearing dad, their two brown-skinned kids, and a shaggy black mutt making happy mayhem in this comfortable, middle-class home. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at 41.3% of actual size.)

A cute read for any family that is missing out on sports (or needs a change-up in their bedtime reading). (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews