IT'S NOT A BED, IT'S A TIME MACHINE

Where the Wild Things Are meets Harold and the Purple Crayon with an imagination that’s brand new.

Beginning with delightful endpapers of childlike dinosaur sketches, this story recasts bedtime as adventure time. A preschool-age child lies in bed, terrified, as mom says, “Be brave. You’re the Boss of Bedtime!” Feeling anything but bosslike, the timorous kid peers nervously around the dark room, certain that trouble lurks nearby. But trusty stuffed bunny Floppy encourages the child to imagine the bed as a time machine that can take them anywhere, even to a land of dinosaurs! Off go the kid, bunny, and bed to a wild space of meadows and mountains (and a basketball hoop and a grill), where friendly dinosaurs play games and live together. Eventually the narrator’s bravery exceeds Floppy’s, even making friends with an affable T. Rex, who plays games and doesn’t want his new playmate to leave. The lively and vivid digital art is full of details big and small, especially in the borders. These are illustrations that deserve to be explored again and again. The opening spread, in particular, contains key clues to this fantastical nighttime adventure. The protagonist appears to be a child of color, with light-brown skin and short, straight black hair.

Anyone who’s ever protested bedtime will surely want this story to continue in their own time machines