Chicken Bedtime Is Really Early
PreSchool-K–This bouncy bedtime tale describes how various barnyard creatures get ready to rest, hour by hour. First, the mother hens put their little ones in the bath, "So when it is six, every chick boy and girlie,/Is snug in the coop. Chicken bedtime is early!" At seven, it's time for the cows and the sheep to hit the hay, followed by bunnies at eight, fish at nine, and so on. Several hamsters settle down in their cage to take a nap at eleven, but are up an hour later for "a brisk midnight jog on the wheel." After the rooster crows at dawn, all of the sleepers awaken, and the story ends with a young boy, still in bed, taking a morning stretch. Although some of the rhymes are a bit forced ("It's time for each one of the/bun-dads and mommies,/To put their young rabbits/in footy pajamies"), the language has a comfortable, informal tone and moves along at a brisk pace. The acrylic paintings create a pleasing balance of colorful textures and simple lines. The cartoon animals are gracefully arranged across each spread, and the background hues grow gradually deeper to accentuate the evening darkness. An additional purchase where bedtime books are popular.–Joy Fleishhacker, School Library JournalCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.