BEDTIME FOR BO

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!