Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Wed Nov 02 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Bedtime has never been so interesting!Bo, a light-skinned toddler with blond hair, has thoughts and ideas! Perhaps you know a toddler like him? Assuming positions that would make a well-trained yogi jealous, Bo plays on the couch surrounded by toy and pets. As evening approaches and Bo's mother starts the evening bedtime routine, Bo has his own plans. Instead of going to bed, Bo claims he is a parrot and stands on one leg. Bo's mother agrees and, joining in with his imaginative play, flies him off to the kitchen for his evening meal. He stuffs himself like a bear and attempts to hibernate under the kitchen table, but Mommy insists that he has to wash first. Then Bo becomes a sea otter and a walrus and so on until he's finally in bed asleep. Translated from Norwegian, the story is delightful and enforces how savvy caregivers can direct and encourage learning, even in quiet moments when children are brushing their teeth or climbing into bed. The mixed-media illustrations, however, steal the show. With a bold fluidity of hand-drawn lines, vibrant colors, and the occasional hint of the cheeky humor that made Maurice Sendak and Tomi Ungerer famous, Johnsen creates a lush world that children will want to study night after night. The combination of text and illustration transforms into something sublime. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Don't sleep on this book; it's magnificent! (Picture book. 4-8)

Horn Book (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Bedtime!

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Bedtime has never been so interesting!Bo, a light-skinned toddler with blond hair, has thoughts and ideas! Perhaps you know a toddler like him? Assuming positions that would make a well-trained yogi jealous, Bo plays on the couch surrounded by toy and pets. As evening approaches and Bo's mother starts the evening bedtime routine, Bo has his own plans. Instead of going to bed, Bo claims he is a parrot and stands on one leg. Bo's mother agrees and, joining in with his imaginative play, flies him off to the kitchen for his evening meal. He stuffs himself like a bear and attempts to hibernate under the kitchen table, but Mommy insists that he has to wash first. Then Bo becomes a sea otter and a walrus and so on until he's finally in bed asleep. Translated from Norwegian, the story is delightful and enforces how savvy caregivers can direct and encourage learning, even in quiet moments when children are brushing their teeth or climbing into bed. The mixed-media illustrations, however, steal the show. With a bold fluidity of hand-drawn lines, vibrant colors, and the occasional hint of the cheeky humor that made Maurice Sendak and Tomi Ungerer famous, Johnsen creates a lush world that children will want to study night after night. The combination of text and illustration transforms into something sublime. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Don't sleep on this book; it's magnificent! (Picture book. 4-8)

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

A child adopts different animals’ nocturnal habits while winding down for bed in this fact-filled translation. Over the course of a pre-bed snack, bath time, tooth-brushing, and tuck-in, pink-skinned, blond-haired Mommy and child Bo insert wildlife-filled adventure into their routine. Once Bo gets the game started by standing on one leg like a sleeping parrot, Mommy continues, suggesting that in the bath Bo make like a walrus: “You can hook your long tusks over the ice and hang on. Then you won’t float away,” she says, prompting Bo to bite the tub. While Bo’s restive antics provide a dash of goofiness, Mommy’s dialogue takes a more educational slant—emphasizing the why behind different critters’ approaches to rest, from sea otters to bats to meerkats. Johnsen’s multicolored drawings have a loosely rendered, busy feel; jam-packed domestic scenes overflow with creatures, toys, and a rambunctious energy that make this volume a “wild” read. Ages 3–8. (Aug.)