Kirkus Reviews

For many preschoolers, bedtime can be scary, making them reluctant or even downright obstinate. Ed, a mouse, however, loves getting ready for bed, from tooth-brushing and bubble bath to story with mom. BUT he hates staying in bed and uses the usual excuses of "too dark" and "monsters" to climb into bed with his parents. Sleepless Mom and Dad come up with a plan to keep Ed in his own bed with a "Closed" sign on their bedroom door. Does it work? Not completely, but a night light and a bed full of stuffed animals do, because Ed, after all, is a big mouse now. Large and simple, the illustrations of India ink, markers and colored pencils are quietly exuberant with bold typeface providing sound effects and the emphatic statements of "Go back to bed!" The images of sleepy and patently exasperated parents will elicit giggles; unmentioned in the text but present in the pictures, the new baby sleeping in a crib at the foot of Mom and Dad's bed gives a clue to Ed's difficulties. Reassuring and right up a toddler's nighttime alley. (Picture book. 2-5)

School Library Journal (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

PreS-Gr 1 Ed, an adorable mouse, loves his bedtime routine. He plays with his dad, gets a drink, brushes his teeth, has a bubble bath and a story, and then is tucked in for the night. But Ed does not like staying in bed. Night after night he wakes his parents and climbs in with them, ignoring the cries of "Back to bed, Ed!" His exhausted parents can take no more and one night Ed discovers a "closed" sign on their tightly shut door. Dad emerges and escorts his son back to his own bed. But the unhappy mouse does not stay put. Instead he gathers up all his stuffed friends and brings them to bed too, declaring, "There's no need to be scaredI'm here now." Finally he is able to sleep in his own bed. Braun's clean illustrations in India ink with markers and colored pencils are bright and bold. Set against plenty of white space, they show all the emotions of the characters and many interesting details. The simple text works in tandem with the illustrations to produce a great story that's fun to read. What's more, the book has an excellent representation of both Mom and Dad parenting. Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH

Horn Book (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Mouse Ed always has an excuse for getting into bed with his parents. After a few nights of this, his exhausted parents finally lay down the law and put him back in his own bed. Ed in turn reassures his stuffed animals (and himself) that there's nothing to fear. The illustrations' cool hues complement this playful yet soothing bedtime story.

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

A young mouse named Ed loves bedtime rituals, from bath time to story time to getting tucked in—it's the actual staying in his bed that he can't stand. Tired of dealing with their offspring-interloper (and just plain tired from having their sleep interrupted), Mom and Dad put a “Closed” sign on the bedroom door. But it's only after Ed himself comes up with a solution—packing his bed with all his stuffed animal pals—that he's able to stay put without a fuss. Braun's (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">On Our Way Home) reportorial tone (“The next morning they slept through the alarm. Dad was late for work. Ed was late for preschool”) establishes a calm but sympathetic mood for an anxiety-ridden subject, while his sturdy-looking, boldly colored cartoon vignettes provide plenty of visual reassurance, even when the emotional stakes are high. Most important, Braun ties the resolution to Ed's own ingenuity, and makes it clear that being able to comfort oneself doesn't just make life easier for everyone—it also represents an impressive (and enviable) leap forward. Ages 2–6. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Feb.)