TIME FOR BED'S STORY

A sentient bed is fed up with a child’s complaints about bedtime.

It is bedtime, and Bed has something to say. The anthropomorphic piece of furniture shares that it understands that the child doesn’t like bedtime, but Bed is frustrated with the child, too. At night, Bed gets kicked and drooled on. In the daytime, the child is noisy and jumps on the bed. There’s even a stench coming from under Bed. Covered in stickers and continuously mistreated, Bed pleads for the child to try and understand Bed’s feelings. In its aggrieved narration, Bed refers to itself in the third person while addressing the child in the second person, making readers feel that Bed is talking to them. This fresh, distinctive delivery creates a quirky, humorous story. The illustrations are colorful, and expressive headboard facial features bring Bed to life. The end falls flat, with no real resolution, but the illustrations support the limited text with sweet smiles of appreciation between child and Bed. Many different emotions are portrayed on Bed’s face—annoyance, disgust, embarrassment, sadness, and more—making it an excellent vehicle for learning empathy and respect. The child illustrated is fair-skinned with dark hair, with one visiting friend who has brown skin and dark hair. (This book was reviewed digitally with 12.78-by-17.88-inch double-page spreads viewed at 44% of actual size.)

A cute, original, and funny book for younger readers.