BEDTIME! - Hardcover

Freeman, Ruth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0823414442 ISBN 13: 9780823414444

Publisher: Holiday House, 1999

Synopsis

Between space-saving beds in cupboards and floating astronaut beds with straps for those in outer space, bedtime is different for everyone throughout the world in this colorful, informative tale with an array of fun-filled bedtime facts.

About this title

About the Authors

Ruth Freeman Swain has been a preschool instructor and taught creative movement. She is the author of two books illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith, "Bedtime!," a National Council of Social Studies Notable book, and "Hairdo!: What We Do and Did to Our Hair,": which Booklist praised as "an entertaining, informative picture book," and which Kirkus Reviews call "a cut above." A native of Pennsylvania, Ms. Swain now lives in Maine.

Cat Bowman Smith’s critically acclaimed artwork adorns more than forty books, including Joshua the Giant Frog, Feliciana Feydra LeRoux, Feliciana Feydra LeRoux Meets D'Loup Garou, The Rosie Stories, Old Granny and the Bean Thief, Just One More Story, Bedtime, and Hairdo, among many others.

Ms. Smith lives in Pittsford, New York, with her pup Daisy. She received a Bachelor of Fine Art degree from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1961. She was an editorial illustrator for Rochester Gannett newspapers, and taught illustration at R.I.T.

She has been “drawing since she could hold a pencil in her hand” and has been illustrating trade books since 1985.

Reviews

Though books about bedtime abound, young readers are unlikely to find many books like this one, about the beds themselves. Swain's picture book debut takes a quirky, informative look at beds through the ages. In an inviting storytelling style, she spans time and geography to describe the furniture on which people sleep, from the wooden bed frames used in ancient Egypt to large communal beds of 16th-century Europe and South American hammocks. Along the way, she frequently makes comparisons between historic and modern sleeping quarters and also provides some fun facts, pointing out, for example, the unusual places where truck drivers, astronauts and mountain climbers catch some shut-eye. But Swain's attempt to cover so much territory in a traditional picture book format results in a few awkward transitions in the text. Smith's (Nine for California) cheery watercolors capture both well-researched details and the illustrator's sunny sense of humor (kids will chuckle at King Louis XIV jumping on one of his 413 magnificent beds). No matter where they are tucked in, her many slumbering subjects look cozy indeed. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Children, to whom the questions of where and how people sleep are so important, will snuggle right up to this fascinating study of ``beds.'' Swain compares bedtime customs from around the world and through history, covering hammocks, berths, sleeping bags, cradles, and more; she addresses sleeping in zero gravity, and napping while hanging from a rope on a mountain climbing expedition. The historical tidbits will intrigue, too: that families of the Middle Ages slept together in the same bed (without clothes!); that ancient Egyptians depended on mosquito netting to get some shut-eye; that Chinese children had animal-shaped pillows with big eyes, to watch out for them at night. Swain's text is conversational and fairly inclusive, while Smith's illustrations keep the bluster out of the subject by providing plenty of humor. Children will be up all night poring over her scenes, which are packed with informative details, settings, and props. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From a simple mat with a straw pillow to a dorm bunk littered with boom box, TV, and minifridge, beds have come a long way. The evolution of beds through time and their adaptation to climate and hazards (e.g., hammocks kept rain-forest sleepers cool and safe from ground dangers) are documented in this delightful history. Smith's detailed and humorous watercolor paintings expand on Swain's intriguing facts. The book details the many kinds of beds and their innovations, including the wooden frames and mosquito netting of ancient Egyptian beds; cozy Pullman sleepers and inventive Murphy beds; the cool, underground dens of desert-dwelling Berbers; the hanging platforms of daring mountain climbers; and the sleeping restraints of astronauts. This fun focus on one aspect of world cultures should find a place in both schools and public libraries. Ellen Mandel

Kindergarten-Grade 2-A look at sleep, beds, pillows, and nightclothes across the ages and continents. Swain explains that although people have different customs and habits, everybody needs sleep. She begins with a description of how the ancient Egyptians slept and concludes with a portrayal of how astronauts sleep in outer space. "Whether you like your bed tucked in tight or all in a heap, filled with friends or only you, covered with blankets or quilts or nothing at all, there has never been another bed anywhere like yours." The lively cartoon illustrations are well balanced with blocks of text. The author concludes with a page of facts about the topic.
Shelley Woods, Boston Public Library, MA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0823414442
• ISBN 13: 9780823414444
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Smith Cat Bowman
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32