Author | Mem Fox |
---|---|
Illustrator | Emma Quay |
Country | Australia |
Language | English |
Genre | Children's picture book |
Published | 2013 ( Penguin Books Australia) |
Media type | Print ( hardback) |
Pages | 32 (unpaginated) |
ISBN | 9780670075195 |
OCLC | 863243814 |
Baby Bedtime is a 2013 children's picture book by Mem Fox and illustrated by Emma Quay. The book, published in America by Beach Lane Books, and published in Australia by Penguin Books Australia, is about an adult elephant getting her baby ready for bed.
Reviews of Baby Bedtime have been mixed. A Kirkus Reviews reviewer was especially concerned with the book's initial wording and wrote that "the cannibalistic opening quatrain followed by a gushingly affectionate outpouring makes for a book that only a certain type of grandparent could read aloud to a very young grandchild. Quay's striking illustrations cannot rescue this one". [1] Publishers Weekly wrote: "Here's a wonderful little lesson in the subjunctive from master teacher Fox (Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes). ... After a few pages of soft-crayoned textures, pastel hues, and arm's-length framing, a visual sameness sets in, though readers should find it soporific". [2]
There have also been Baby Bedtime reviews in Booklist, [3] School Library Journal, [4] The Horn Book Magazine, [5] The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, [6] Reading Time, [7] Scan, [8] and Magpies. [9]
The repetitive, simple language creates a calm, soothing, lullabylike effect that is perfectly complemented by soft crayon-and-watercolor illustrations. ... This should resonate with babies, toddlers, and their designated adult readers, and when presented alongside other bedtime classics, it makes a great choice for parent-and-child story hours.
..beautifully designed book.. The elephants have an unfocused, sketchy look that pairs perfectly with twilight and dreams around the corner. This gentle lullaby in book form is perfect for sleepy toddlers and parents who will want to mimic the actions in the book.
Mem Fox proves once again that she's a contemporary Mother Goose as she delivers seemingly effortless rhyming verse in her latest bedtime book. ... Quay's soft mixed-media art in pastel hues depicts the gentle, rounded forms of anthropomorphic parent-and-child elephants and exudes calming comfort.
This would make a mellow closing title for a nighttime story hour or a pleasantly soporific bedtime read for families.