A Bedtime Story - Softcover

Fox, Mem

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1572551356 ISBN 13: 9781572551350

Publisher: Mondo Pub, 1996

Synopsis

Polly and her friend Bed Rabbit have lots of books, but they don't know how to read, so Polly's parents interrupt their own reading for a bedtime story

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

As lackluster as its title, Fox's (Time for Bed) slight story tells of a girl trying her hardest to get her parents' attention at bedtime. Because her stuffed bunny (coyly named Bed Rabbit) can't read, Polly wants Mom or Dad to read him a story. Deep in their own books, Mom and Dad ask their resolute daughter questions that will delay the inevitable: Has she brushed her teeth? Been to the bathroom? Put on her pajamas? The girl answers each query affirmatively, for herself as well as for Bed Rabbit. When this repetitious dialogue finally ends, Polly's mother reads aloud a book with "scary pictures"; after Mom reads it a second time, Polly and bunny fall asleep and parents go back to their own books. Though more inventive than the text, Savadier's (Hotter Than a Hot Dog) pictures suffer from the same predictability, varying little from spread to spread. A smattering of cut-paper collage?seen in wispy lace curtains and the boldly hued spines of books on Polly's shelf?combine with airy watercolors and sketchy pencil drawings. Kids might wish these pictures were a little "scary," too, or at least had some edge to offset the blandness of this outing. Ages 6-10.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 2-Campaigning for family literacy at your school or library? This title can add a blast of motivation to reading-incentive arsenals. Polly and Bed Rabbit are ready for their bedtime story, but Polly's parents are lounging around with their shoes off, wrapped up in their own reading. After a few pathetic stalling ploys ("Have you had your glass of milk?" "Have you brushed your teeth?"), the parents leave their books behind to snuggle up on Polly's bed and read her to sleep-and then tiptoe back to resume their own reading. The story is slight but right. Fox delivers it with a personal feeling that's very warm. She uses vocabulary and sentence structure simple enough for beginning readers. Savadier's illustrations pick up the sweetness in the author's tone. As she did in Grandma's Shoes (Little, 1994), the artist brings calm to the story via her pictures: watercolor and colored pencil, with cut-paper collage to emphasize the many books on Polly's shelves. All three family members look unmistakably comfortable, relaxed, and satisfied as they read. A perfect bedtime choice.
Liza Bliss, Worcester Public Library, MA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Mondo Pub
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 1572551356
• ISBN 13: 9781572551350
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 1
• Illustrator: Savadier Elivia