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Bedtime 123
Lull your little one to sleep while counting the animals also nestling in for the night. Count the stars coming out, fox cubs snuggling, puppies piling and chicks cuddling as baby rocks gently to sleep in this gorgeously illustrated board book from bestselling author Eric Walters and award-winning illustrator Josee Bisaillon.
26 pages, Board Book
Published September 12, 2017
4 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Eric Walters
157 books909 followersEric was born in Toronto in 1957, which makes him "real old". But, as Eric says, "Just because I have to grow old doesn't mean that I have to grow up!" In his many roles as parent, teacher, social worker, youth sports coach and writer he is in constant contact with children and young adults. He draws from these experiences and feels that this helps him to capture the realistic interaction between young people—the conflicts, tensions, stresses and interests that make up their lives.
Eric began his writing as a teacher. He taught in classes from kindergarten up and his stories often reflect the curriculum that he was teaching. He always read stories—picture books and novels—to his students and this helped him to understand what children liked, responded to, and were inspired by. He enjoys the enthusiasm of his students and often looks at them to provide him with the inspiration to pursue a particular topic in both the classroom and in his writing.
Eric tries to write every day. When he has a story idea he starts with research. This could involve reading books, watching a documentary, or trying to experience the things that his characters are going to go through. This could include rock climbing or riding white water (for Stars), spending time in a wheelchair (Rebound), playing and walking with tigers (Tiger by the Tail), hanging around a tough biker bar (Diamonds in the Rough), standing out in his backyard in a blizzard wearing a T-shirt and shorts (Trapped in Ice), or traveling to Africa (Alexandria of Africa).
"The most important thing anybody ever told me about writing was to write what you know . . . and the only way to get to know things is to do your homework and research before you write," Eric stated.
Once the writing begins the story is always playing around in his head. He takes any opportunity, even if it's just a few minutes between presentations, to put things down, either with pen and paper or on his laptop.
Prior to entering teaching and writing Eric was a social worker (B.S.W., M.S.W., B.A.Hons—specialized major psychology). He worked in a variety of settings including child welfare, private practice, a mental health centre, and, for twenty years on a part-time basis as a Crisis Social Worker in an emergency department. He stopped teaching 4 years ago and left the ER only last year.
The majority of Eric's time is spent in the company of his wife, children and dogs (Lola a big standard poodle and a little white dog named Winnie the Poodle).
Eric began his writing as a teacher. He taught in classes from kindergarten up and his stories often reflect the curriculum that he was teaching. He always read stories—picture books and novels—to his students and this helped him to understand what children liked, responded to, and were inspired by. He enjoys the enthusiasm of his students and often looks at them to provide him with the inspiration to pursue a particular topic in both the classroom and in his writing.
Eric tries to write every day. When he has a story idea he starts with research. This could involve reading books, watching a documentary, or trying to experience the things that his characters are going to go through. This could include rock climbing or riding white water (for Stars), spending time in a wheelchair (Rebound), playing and walking with tigers (Tiger by the Tail), hanging around a tough biker bar (Diamonds in the Rough), standing out in his backyard in a blizzard wearing a T-shirt and shorts (Trapped in Ice), or traveling to Africa (Alexandria of Africa).
"The most important thing anybody ever told me about writing was to write what you know . . . and the only way to get to know things is to do your homework and research before you write," Eric stated.
Once the writing begins the story is always playing around in his head. He takes any opportunity, even if it's just a few minutes between presentations, to put things down, either with pen and paper or on his laptop.
Prior to entering teaching and writing Eric was a social worker (B.S.W., M.S.W., B.A.Hons—specialized major psychology). He worked in a variety of settings including child welfare, private practice, a mental health centre, and, for twenty years on a part-time basis as a Crisis Social Worker in an emergency department. He stopped teaching 4 years ago and left the ER only last year.
The majority of Eric's time is spent in the company of his wife, children and dogs (Lola a big standard poodle and a little white dog named Winnie the Poodle).
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 5, 2019
This counting book actually has a little bit of a story to it. The beautiful illustrations show a variety of baby animals tucking themselves in for the night, whether it's in a nest or a den or even in a tree. I was pleasantly surprised by the pictures; they're so lovely to look at, with a relaxing vibe and plenty of details to look at. Kids can count the various creatures as they snuggle into their beds; there's even a baby human in their own bed, complete with a mobile overhead featuring some of the creatures that were counted in the book.
Some counting books are stronger than others. I think this one is near the top of the pack.
Quotable moment:
Some counting books are stronger than others. I think this one is near the top of the pack.
Quotable moment:
October 4, 2017
This one is odd. Many of the animals are indistinctly drawn and very hard to actually count. I was also puzzled by the inclusion of owl babies, who are nocturnal and likely not falling asleep at night. Besides that, the text is fine. I just wish the illustrations were more clear.
September 25, 2019
THIS BOARD BOOK IS STUNNING. The end.
February 21, 2020
This book is a cute, simple board book aimed at toddlers and young preschool age kids. It is a counting book, and uses the numbers 1-10 to countdown all the baby animals going to sleep as the sun sets. The illustrations make a nice use of color and change each page to show the progression of the sun setting and nightfall coming. It creates a visual pattern in the page, and flows well with the rhymes and number progression on each page as well. It is a useful bedtime story, something you could read at naptime or as your little one settles one. It does have some nice images and can teach a lesson about human nature, and how we all fall sleep the same (even if at different times). It could also be used to teach counting and simply about baby animals and where they sleep. I would recommend for a small library at home or in a classroom library.
March 24, 2018
Walters, Eric Bedtime 1,2,3. Illustrated by Josee Bisaillon. BOARD BOOK. Orca Book Publishers, 2017. $9.95.
When the sun goes down on this little farm house animals babies go to sleep as soon as ONE moon rises. “Three owlets rest high in the treetops.” “Six puppies pile up high on their bed.” It’s time for all babies to fall asleep, especially little ones snuggling up to a good bedtime story.
This is a fun board book that explores numbers as well as baby animals living on a farm. The pictures are soft and comforting. The story is simple and sweet.
Pre-K. ADVISABLE. Reviewer: SL.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
When the sun goes down on this little farm house animals babies go to sleep as soon as ONE moon rises. “Three owlets rest high in the treetops.” “Six puppies pile up high on their bed.” It’s time for all babies to fall asleep, especially little ones snuggling up to a good bedtime story.
This is a fun board book that explores numbers as well as baby animals living on a farm. The pictures are soft and comforting. The story is simple and sweet.
Pre-K. ADVISABLE. Reviewer: SL.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
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February 3, 2019Bedtime 123 is a simple board book that counts from one to ten showcasing different animals as they go to bed. As the numbers increase, the number of animals on each page increase as well. The book includes simple language that is easy to follow for toddlers. It also includes colorful and detailed illustrations that showcase the habitats of the featured animals. This book is made of board meaning it is sturdy and great for younger children. This book is a great choice to introduce counting to a child as well as a fun bedtime story.
January 14, 2020
So I was all set to give this 3 stars because it was sweet and soothing, if not particularly memorable. But then it dawned on me that there are owls on the cover getting ready for bed at nighttime, which makes no sense because owls are nocturnal. F's an owl fan, though (it's one of her favorite words to say right now) so she didn't care. I got a little thrown while reading this because I expected there to be rhyming text and then there wasn't really. I also think the dogs look a lot like bunnies in the illustrations.
September 9, 2019
This is a very simple book great for young children who are learning to count. Different groups of animals are introduced throughout the pages of the book starting with one single animal and going up to a group of 10. This will help children learn and practice counting by counting each invididual animal in a group to find out how many there are!
February 13, 2018
Great board book for bedtime, counting, and animals! Would pair good with "Twinkle Twinkle," "Old MacDonald," and any counting song. I plan to use this a lot in my Baby Storytimes (birth to 23 months).
March 27, 2018
As a read-aloud, this is lovely. If you have a child who wants to count the items himself, this one is a little tricky because in many illustrations it is animals who are nestled together or in some way overlapping. This presented challenges for my counters after we got to 5.
May 30, 2025
Cute counting book with animals going to sleep. I think a hair advance for my baby because the book was piles of sleeping animals which I think were hard for him to recognize. He again got annoyed with me counting the animals out on each page lol
Elliot gives it a 4/10
Elliot gives it a 4/10
November 4, 2017
Counting story with baby animals. Great illustrations!
May 16, 2018
Nice enough...I prefer a bit of rhyming text when the book doesn't have much. Also, while the pictures are nice, they aren't obvious enough to a toddler who is learning to count...
August 5, 2018
Really great pictures.
October 16, 2018
All the animals are getting tucked in for the night, one by one. Simple and easy to follow with a nice calming tone. Baby and up
December 10, 2018
A simple bedtime story with illustrations that really captivated me.
April 6, 2021
For: animal lovers; readers looking for a bedtime book with counting.
Possible red flags: not as sleepy as it could be.
Possible red flags: not as sleepy as it could be.
January 25, 2022
Read along version with my daughter trying to put her to bed. Cute images to go with the words.
January 23, 2024
Toddler and preschool
February 1, 2018
Learning numbers with a bedtime story. Simple book, but well done. I find that some different animals really look alike, so it may be a minus for the illustrations but if not, a descent book for the young ones!
pre-k-bookshelf
February 5, 2019It's bedtime at the farm and it's time for the animals to go to sleep. This counting board book has beautiful illustrations. The illustrator shows each of the baby animals sleeping in ways that show just how and where they would be sleeping. The owls in trees, foxes in den, fawns in the grass, puppies sprawled out, kittens in a basket, chicks in a nest, ducklings under a mothers wing and the baby in a crib. The numbers are big and help to tell the story of the end of the day. A very nice book for bedtime or a storytime about sleep.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews