Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Bayport Public Library | PICTURE BOOK GRI | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake) | PICTURE BOOK GRI | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Oakdale Library | PICTURE BOOK GRI | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove) | PICTURE BOOK GRI | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | PICTURE BOOK GRI | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Stillwater Public Library | PICTURE BOOK GRI | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Wildwood Library (Mahtomedi) | PICTURE BOOK GRI | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Barnes & Noble Best Book of the Year
Kirkus Best Book of the Year
Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
4 STARRED REVIEWS
Nikki Grimes, Coretta Scott King Award winning author, and acclaimed illustrator Elizabeth Zunon's latest children's masterpiece creates an imagination-fueled and animal-filled journey to bedtime.
"Has the feel of an all-time great bedtime picture book" -- The New York Times
It's bedtime. But Mommy's little one is not sleepy.
He growls like a bear, he questions like an owl, he tosses his mane like a lion. He hunts for water like a sly wolf, and hides like a snake.
Mommy needs to wrangle her sweet creature in bed so that the whole family can sleep. From tigers to squirrels to snakes, the little boy dodges around his bedtime, until he is tired enough to finally sleep. His imaginative animal friends weave their way through the illustrations, eventually joining him in curling up for the night.
For those seeking children's books about diversity, this loving depiction of everyday shenanigans is sure to become a bedtime favorite. Bedtime for Sweet Creatures is an African American children's book that celebrates imagination, playful moments, and the love between a Black mother and child.
"The mother's loving understanding is demonstrated by how she works with her child's rich imagination, never slipping into admonishment. As such, children will engage with the pajama-clad tot's antics and be soothed by the book's positive tone. A fabulous interpretation of an everyday battle."--Booklist, STARRED review
Author Notes
Nikki Grimes was born and raised in New York City. She began writing poetry at age six and is well-known for writing award-winning books primarily for children and young adults. Bronx Masquerade and Talkin' About Bessie both won Coretta Scott King Awards, and her poetry collections featuring Danitra Brown are very popular. Grimes received the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children in 2006.
She has written articles for magazines including Essence and Today's Christian Woman, as well as hosted radio programs in New York and Sweden. She has lectured and read her poetry at schools in Russia, China, Sweden, and Tanzania. Grimes is also a prolific artist, creating works of fiber art, beaded jewelry, peyote beading, handmade cards, and photography.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
"No! No! No!" begins Grimes's rhythmic, playful romp through a restless child's bedtime routine. As the toddler resists sleep, a mother patiently creates an imaginary menagerie via vivid similes--"Your eyes swell, wide as owls... You coil beneath the quilt, silent as a snake"--transforming a bedroom into a forest full of friendly creatures. Zunon's expressive, heavily textured collage is interspersed with abstract animals (evocative of Senufo textile art), clearly delineating imagined from real. Despite the mother's best efforts at trumpeting away any monsters and checking under the bed before reading the child a story, the child appears at the parents' bedside in the late night hours, pleading, "Mommy, can I sleep with you?" As she opens the covers for the tot to join, the parade of gentle beasts joins, helping to lull the now "very sleepy child" into slumber--and turning the visually pleasing adventure into a loving, effective lullaby. Ages 4--8. (Jan.)
Horn Book Review
Grimes puts an animal-centric spin on a youngsters innovations for bedtime stalling. This lushly illustrated story, on double-page spreads full of bold, saturated color, opens with an African American childs firm attestation: No! No! No! Its bedtime, and this young person wants no part of it. The narrator, the childs mother, speaks in an immediate second-person voice. In the forest of your room, you cling to Bear. I turn back the sheets, and you GROWL. In you both go, I say. In response to each of Mommys directives, the childs defiance conjures a colorful creature, adorned with geometric patterns. In most cases, the imagined animal is larger than the protagonist, emphasizing just how strong bedtime resistance can be. The child freezes in place like Fawn, hangs onto Mommys neck like Koala, crouches and pounces like Tiger, and hops like Antelope, all of which contribute to the difficulties of winding down for sleep. Zunon mixes realistic portrayals of the human characters with more stylized depictions of the animals, to highlight the role the childs imagination is playing. The gender-unspecified protagonist, wearing a footed red onesie with a back flap, helps all young listeners see themselves in these scenarios. A clever bedtime tale for stubborn, active, twenty-first-century kids. Michelle H. MartinJanuary/February 2020 p.69(c) Copyright 2020. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Grimes and Zunon have created an adorable and imaginative bedtime story to add to collections for young children. Narrated by the mother of curly-headed child in red, footed pajamas, the familiar saga of getting an unwilling child into bed unfolds. As the petite main character tries to avoid going to sleep, Mom endeavors to turn bedtime into a fun activity. The house becomes a wilderness, with the child roaring like a lion in protest and loping, antelope-like, down the hall, as Mom kneels on the forest floor (green carpet) to check for monsters under the bed. Koala hugs and a fox-sly dash for one last drink of water also make appearances. Packed with phrases children will know, such as No! I love you, I'm not sleepy, and Once upon a time, young readers or listeners will recognize themselves in this accessible book's pages. Zunon uses various styles and materials in collaged spreads that boast bold colors, a menagerie of animals, and traditional African patterns to convey the story's childlike spirit of adventure. The mother's loving understanding is demonstrated by how she works with her child's rich imagination, never slipping into admonishment. As such, children will engage with the pajama-clad tot's antics and be soothed by the book's positive tone. A fabulous interpretation of an everyday battle.--Tiffany Flowers Copyright 2019 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
PreS-K--In this exceptionally well-done title, readers follow a young child on a before-bed adventure. The book opens with a toddler shouting "No! No! No!" It continues, "You beat the word like a drum the minute I say, 'Come, sweet creature. It's bedtime.'" The gorgeous illustrations are from the child's perspective. For example, when the child answers their mother, the lyrical text says their eyes get big as an owl's. On the opposite page and part of the adjacent page are three large yellow-and-orange owls. Other items encountered on this bedtime routine are a large green, blue, and yellow bear; a forest scene; a snake; a giant pink-and-orange lion in bed; a blue-and-green fawn; a green-and-pink squirrel; and more. The words and the art are perfectly matched: when getting tucked in, the child, who is beside the large imaginary colorful lion, tells her mom to check underneath the bed for something vicious. Mom says, "I kneel on the forest floor, find something wild and ferocious." Underneath the bed is a small gray-and-white kitty. The text reads, "Meow." The illustrations and execution of this title give it a fresh approach to a subject that resonates with families raising small children. VERDICT Highly recommended for public and school libraries. The creative illustrations will appeal to parents who struggle with keeping children in bed at night. This is also an excellent choice for a bedtime storytime or other programs.--Robin Sofge, Prince William Public Library System, VA
Kirkus Review
A patient mother with a healthy sense of whimsy helps prepare her headstrong toddler for bed.The story opens with a toddler, fists raised into the air, proclaiming, "No! No! No!" Thank goodness this not-at-the-moment-sweet creature's mother is patient and creative as she corrals her child into a bedtime routine that may feel familiar to many readers. The words and behaviors of the child evading bed are translated into animal sounds and behaviors: wide-eyed and asking "Who? Who?" like an owl; shaking hair and roaring like a lion; hanging on for a hug like a koala. And, of course, the requisite leaving bed for a last trip to the bathroom and drink, like a human child. Zunon's art takes this book to the next level: Her portrayals of the animals mentioned in the text are colorful and full of intriguing patterns and shapes. Additionally, the expressions on the faces of the mother, child, and animals speak volumes, portraying the emotions of each. Arguably, the sweetest part of the story comes at the end, when the child asks to sleep with Mommy and Dad. Though the mother sighs, the child climbs in, along with "owl, bear, snake, kitty, fawn, squirrel, koala, tiger, wolf." (Readers attuned to details will notice the father's look of delight at the parade of animals.) All characters are black.An adventurous treat of a bedtime story. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
