BEDTIME BLASTOFF!

An adventurous bedtime story is filled with imagination and a child’s keen excitement in vehicular transportation.

With his first lines—“A bed. A boy. His daddy”—Reynolds creates the atmosphere, setting, and characters who are going to set free their imaginations and provide ample opportunity to showcase a particular dynamic of father-son relations. The father is ready to tuck his son into bed and asks him, “Bedtime?”—to which the son replies excitedly, “Not yet!” They soon start to re-create scenes with the boy’s toys, bed, and different objects located in his bedroom. From a train station where the boy is the conductor to a space shuttle where he is an astronaut, young readers will be engaged in learning about transportation and those responsible for operating different types of vehicles. It surely will inspire children to explore their own imaginations and re-create the assorted scenarios. Yamada’s digital illustrations amplify the creativity of this duo, offering detailed images of the child’s bedroom as it becomes a sort of infinite and diverse playground. The pair are both Caucasian, the son’s eyes bright blue and oversized, almost manga-style.

With its simple, declarative text and lively illustrations, this is an ideal story for transportation-themed storytimes or for launching kids to bedtime...maybe later rather than sooner.