Time for Bed - Book Review

Time for Bed is by Mem Fox. Jane Dyer is the illustrator. The board book has twenty-eight pages. There are thirty-two pages in the oversize children picture book. The target age group are children a few months old to four-years-old. It is a rhythmic bedtime book.

Time for Bed follows the pattern of Anne Gutman’s Daddy Cuddles and Mommy Hugs. In this kids' book, like the others, animal parents share an important life lesson with their offspring. The message in this book is “there is a time for bed.”

Jane Dyer paints animal parents (male & female) preparing their offspring for a good night’s rest. A cat puts a kitten to bed with a cuddle. There is a blue bird and chick in a nest. Also, there are a fish, snake, mouse, dog, cow and other animals. A human mother and her human child are on the last two pages.The mother wishes her child sweet dreams. Jane Dyer’s artwork is great. The paintings are soothing and convey the love each parent has for their child. Look at her watercolor painting of the sheep. They are on Time for Bed’s book cover.

Time for Bed is a quiet kids' bedtime book with rhyming text. Yet, it works on other levels, too. The parent or teacher can teach children the name of different animals and the sounds they make. A cow and calf make moo sounds. The sheep and lamb make baa sounds. Also, the two-page spread of each animal pair show where the animals sleep. This turns the book into an early science book.

Children need to have a regular routine. A set bedtime and place to sleep are part of the daily routine. Read a bedtime story as part of the nightly ritual. Read quiet, soothing books to children in their warm, comfortable bed. This allows a child to associate reading with comfort and security. The association will continue a lifetime.





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Note: Time for Bed by Mem Fox review copy is from a friend.