The Very Best Bed

by Rebekah Raye

A bushy gray squirrel is ready for bed, but where will he sleep tonight? He finds a cozy den, but a big black bear is already sleeping there. On his way up a tree, he sees a family of bats, but sleeping upside down doesn't suit him. A beaver slaps his tail on the pond before he dives down to his bed in his lodge, but the squirrel doesn't want to get his feet wet. Here's a snug hole in a tree, but it's overflowing with raccoon babies. Rebekah Raye's wonderful watercolor paintings take us along on the gray squirrel's search for just the right bed. Where, oh where, will he sleep tonight? Rebekah Raye is an artist beloved for her bird and animal paintings and sculpture, derived from her affinity with the natural world around her at her studio in Eaast Blue Hiull, Maine. She illustrated Thanks to the Animals, by Allen Sockabasin, and teaches workshops for children and adults.

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2006

About the author

Rebekah Raye is an artist beloved for her bird and animal paintings and sculpture, derived from her affinity with the natural world around her. She is the author/illustrator of The Very Best Bed and Bear-ly There and the illustrator of Thanks to the Animals by Allen Sockabasin. "

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little gray squirrel searches for a place to sleep in this charming bedtime story by Maine artist Rebekah Raye, who also illustrated Allen Sockabasin's Thanks to the Animals , as well as her own more recent book, Bear-ly There . From a cozy bear's den, to a branch thick with hanging bats, every sleeping place the squirrel investigates seems to be taken, until finally, an abandoned woodpecker's nest provides "the very best bed..."

With a simple text that is full of motion - rabbits go "hop, hop, hopping," the squirrel climbs "up, up, up" - and lovely watercolor illustrations that really make the animals come alive, The Very Best Bed would make a wonderful read-aloud tale - particularly for children who have trouble settling down for the night. Like squirrel, hopefully they can be led to their very own "very best bed."

[Madelyn Camacho-Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good example to teach children where different animals live/sleep. It goes through the journey of a little grey squirrel who can't find anywhere to sleep and finds out where other animals sleep. The illustrations are darker in tone, so it is difficult to read the small print at times. Overall, it is a very educational book!

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

My toddler loves this book. As a reader, I felt like it was a bit long, but the pictures are absolutely lovely and he found it enchanting.

[Alicia Steagall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable animal book to read a child. A bunch of adorable animals.

[Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fits with the prekindergarten curriculum of nocturnal animals, this is an adorable book. I'm all about reading books about going to bed at bedtime.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic bedtime story in which a squirrel observes many different animals resting, before finding the very best bedding down spot for himself. Introduces a variety of wild species.

[Bri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rebekah Raye’s The Very Best Bed features a tired gray squirrel searching for the perfect place to sleep for the night. He travels through the forest looking, but every possible spot has its own problem or there’s another animal occupying the space. A cozy den would be nice for the night, but there’s a bear. A hole in a tree might be perfect if it weren’t for a nest of raccoons.

The Very Best Bed’s design makes this a great read for preschoolers. The watercolor illustrations are soothing and depict sweet scenes of various animals sleeping. The amount of text on each page is minimal, suitable for bedtime reading. There’s almost a lilting rhythm to the text as it highlights and bolds certain words – slap, jump, etc – to set them apart.

The title is also educational, with the story containing information of animal habitats and sleeping methods of animals. I’d recommend using it in a classroom lesson of animals habitats, as it makes a nice visual aid for interpretation. The preschoolers I read it to seemed to enjoy it and sat still for the whole thing..sometimes that’s quite a feat for a book to achieve!

Review originally published at BriMeetsBooks.com

[Terry]

We read this book a lot ... the boys requested it! My children loved this book and wanted to read it every night. They really enjoyed seeing all the animals in their natural habitat and trying to remember the names of all the animals.

As a biology major, I appreciated the exposure my children were getting to seeing the animals in each of their natural habitats. See what else or science mom loved in the review at the Reading Tub.

[Magila · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

Cute. Ok artwork. This is the type of book some people can happily read to their children in their nighttime routine. I believe appreciation will swing a bit towards women and little girls because of the cute animals.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has wonderful illustrations and great repetivite language for children.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently read this book to Brendan's 4 year old pre-school class. It was lots of fun.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very cute book about a squirrel who is on a quest to find the best bed. The pictures are beautifully drawn and bring the pages to life.

[Laurie Petersen]

Comforting illustrations and outcome for young kids. --Laurie

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little critter trying to find the best bed is never any easy.