TIME FOR BED, ISOBEL

This Australian import reworks the overused theme of toddler bedtime resistance. Little panda Isobel doesn’t want to go to sleep but rather wishes to stay with Mum. Mum obliges by spending time in Isobel’s room, doing exercises, tidying up, reading and finally, from sheer exhaustion, falling asleep in the child’s warm bed. But what about Isobel? All the distraction only causes her to stay even more awake until the quiet of her mother’s slumber and the need to fit in the bed with her prompts a final acquiescence for catching some much needed winks. Not the best role model to follow if little ones are being trained to spend some quiet time alone before dozing off. Still, the colorfully cheerful watercolors of a happy mama and child panda set amidst the pink and purple of a little girl’s bedroom add familiarity to the nighttime ritual. Additional stock for the plethora of books about bedtime. (Picture book. 2-4)