School Library Journal Starred Review (Sun Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2019)

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

Horn Book

Grimes puts an animal-centric spin on a youngster's innovations for bedtime stalling. This lushly illustrated story, on double-page spreads full of bold, saturated color, opens with an African American child's firm attestation: "No! No! No!" It's bedtime, and this young person wants no part of it. The narrator, the child's 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 Mommy's directives, the child's 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 Mommy's 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 child's 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.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

-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.)