Bouncing Time

by Patricia Hubbell, Melissa Sweet (Illustrator)

The joy and excitement of a busy, bustling, bouncing day are captured in this boldly illustrated bedtime tale for preschoolers.

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Animals, Childrens, Fiction

32 pages, Library Binding

First published April 30, 2000

About the author

Patricia Hubbell has been writing poetry since she was eleven years old.
In 1998, her Wrapping Paper Romp was selected as a Parents Magazine Book of the Year.
Patricia Hubbell lives with her husband, Harold Hornstein, in Easton, Connecticut, the small town where she was born.
Remembering how much their children and grandchildren loved to bounce when they were very young prompted her to write Bouncing Time. "Bouncing is one of the joyous things little kids do," she says. "It reflects their constant enthusiasm."

Reviews

[Eneida · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rhyming book that provides the opportunity for a lot of movement. I like to use it the same way I use songs and finger-plays during my story times: to give the children a break and have them moving for a few minutes.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a very active book for bouncing babies! There will be so much bouncing they'll be sick of bouncing forever! haha, but the pictures are super cute and it's definitely the right age group

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hubbell, Patricia. (2000). Bouncing Time. Singapore, Asia: Harper Collins.

Annotation: For babies to preschool. Melissa Sweet’s illustrations are bright, fun, and the softness of the characters is very appealing to young children. Additionally, Sweet skillfully uses lines to illustrate motion in the pictures, the reader can see the characters and animals bouncing; the lines also guide the reader to the next page. In this story, a mother asks her baby, “How will you bounce today, baby?” As the story progresses, the mother asks if she will bounce like a clown, puppy, grasshopper, and many other things. The mother and baby go to the zoo and the animals are bouncing there too. Patricia Hubbell places emphasis on the word bounce throughout the book by using a different font, size, and color than the rest of the written text. This makes reading the word more exciting for younger words.

Personal Reflection: I like this book because it can be used to engage younger children. Toddlers and preschoolers will enjoy bouncing like the characters and animals in the story. In addition, this book would be nice to read before taking a trip to the zoo.

[Sara Bland · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is a cute little children's picture book, I wasn't very impressed by the overall story of the book. There is truly no plot, just that the child bounces and jumps all around the zoo with the animals. A positive for this book is that it takes you through many different animals that you might find at the zoo. The ending is a little bit abrupt and doesn't really fit in with the nice light verse throughout the book. Even so, I would recommend reading this book to children who are learning about different animals. The illustrations are very cute and entertaining for children. I would recommend this book for younger children, probably pre-k through kindergarten.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun and colorful rhyming story. I think I will be using it to incorporate as a bounce in my Baby Rhyme Time storytime, although I'll most likely be skipping a few pages. The text is rhythmic and fun but I do think the last line should rhyme with the page before it and say "sweet dreams" but that is just my personal opinion. Overall it was a cute little book.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has bright colors and illustrations that match the story. The wording is simple and there is not too many words on each page. I would say that first and second grade would be able to start reading this on their own. There is also some rhyming throughout the book that will help children guess what is coming next.

[Tricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

with all of the animals shown in this title, it's a wonder that all description used is limited to bouncing. sure, grasshoppers and frogs bounce but to show other animals and not provide additional movements--well, i don't get it.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was not quite what I was thinking of for a PJ storytime (except for the very end), but it might work for a toddler storytime. Especially if the parents get in to it with their children. Would be a fun lap-read if you bounce the child(ren) as you read.

[Paige P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another rhyming book with cute animals and a story of interactions between mom and daughter. She sees different animals at the zoo who are bouncing like she is. She ends the story with tucking her into bed and reminiscing on the things she has seen that day.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for toddlers to learn animals and pretend to be different ones.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exuberant infant bounces through the day's activities, including a trip to the zoo.

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of texty for a baby book, but lots of reference to bouncing (obviously) and taking baby out to enjoy the world.

[Janae · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy, simple read for younger toddlers. Offers a good intro to animals with short rhymes.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very playful.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure this book is lies, technically. But it's sweet. But wordy.