Bedtime for Little Bulldozer

by Elise Broach, Barry E. Jackson (Illustrations)

Little Bulldozer struggles to fall asleep in this sweet and clever bedtime picture book by a New York Times-bestselling author.

Falling asleep isn't always easy, especially for a loud and rumbling little bulldozer. Once he finally gets into bed, he can't fall asleep no matter what he tries to do: has another drink of oil, gathers his favorite stuffies, and even reads his favorite book. Still, something's not right, and only his sisters--a steamroller and a crane--can make it better. This reassuring and clever bedtime story is for young ones who need a bit of help "bull-dozing" off to sleep.

A Christy Ottaviano Book

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Construction, Family, Juvenile, Humor, Trucks

40 pages, Hardcover

Published March 5, 2019

About the author

Elise Broach is the New York Times bestselling author of children's books including Masterpiece, Shakespeare's Secret, Desert Crossing, Missing on Superstition Mountain (the first book in the Superstition Mountain Trilogy) as well as several picture books. Her books have been selected as ALA notable books, Junior Library Guild selections, a Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book, a New York Public Library Best Book for the Teenage, an IRA Teacher's Choice, an E.B. White Read Aloud Award, and nominated for an Edgar Award, among other distinctions. Ms. Broach holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from Yale University. She was born in Georgia and lives in the woods of rural Connecticut, walking distance from three farms, a library, a post office and two country stores.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/eliseb...

Reviews

[Mely]

Well that was a strange book. The little bulldozer with human parents was just odd. Author humanized the character too much that at times got a little creepy.

[kim]

weird

[Joy Keil]

Didn't like it. The pictures were also weird... the machine had human parents, but there were weird human with car heads on the pictures on the wall...
Disappointed...

[Kristin]

This was like How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight but not as good. However, I found myself thinking that kids could really dig into this by discussing the similarities and differences between their bedtime routine and this bulldozer's bedtime routine. Perhaps this has potential.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book*]

Bedtime for Little Bulldozer by Elise Broach, illustrated by Barry E. Jackson. PICTURE BOOK. Henry Holt (Macmillan), 2019. $18. 9781250109286

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

It’s time for Little Bulldozer to go to bed, but he isn’t sleepy at all. Each time he tries to entertain himself his parents find him up and send him back to bed. It isn’t until he tiptoes into his sisters’ bedroom to snuggle on the floor that he is finally able to relax and drift off.

Do you have a Little Bulldozer of your own? I bet you do, or know one! They will enjoy the sight of a bulldozer acting just like them at bedtime! And its cute enough that you won’t mind re-reading a couple of times a night.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Jessica]

I normally love Elise Broach’s books. Masterpiece is one of my favorites! This was so odd and so boring. Bizarre illustrations (especially the pictures hanging on the living room walls) and human parents with machine children? And the two sisters out of nowhere? Neither of my own kids enjoyed it...

[Jillian]

Kind of cute and funny, but the human parents and bulldozer sisters thing was kind of....out there.

[Jj]

This one is weird and unsettling.

[Chandler Taylor]

A familiar tale for all parents, Little Bulldozer is ready for bed but cannot sleep. Is he too cold? Is there a monster under the bed? Is he lonely? As he struggles to resolve his sleeping dilemma, the humor of the book comes to the forefront as Little Bulldozer (Little B.) is shown living in a regular house with human parents! When Little B. checks for monsters under his bed, his own weight knocks the bed over with a loud crash. When he tries to “tip toe” down the stairs to see what his parents are doing, he falls with a great deal of noise. His parents remind him several times that it is now time to go to sleep and they are tired of his noisy stalling. Finally, Little B. finds a solution to his problem: joining his steamroller and excavator sisters in their cozy bedroom. The book’s illustration details include many nods to Little Bulldozer’s mechanical heritage: from his tractor and truck toys, to his wrecking ball bookends, to his tool covered bedspread, and, most importantly, the framed portraits throughout the book of his ancestors bestowed with classic cars for heads.

[Barbara]

Most likely inspired by the popularity of Good Night, Construction Site and the related books, this picture book moves a construction truck into the bedroom as its family prepares it for a good night's sleep. But even with a bedtime story and all those bathing and tucking in routines, Little Bulldozer finds it hard to sleep. He tosses and turns and worries about something under the bed and he even tries to read himself to sleep. Nothing works, and each time, his parents try to reassure him and urge him to go to sleep. Eventually, he knows what will help, and he finds comfort in his sisters' room where he can finally start to snooze. Created with pencil and Adobe Photoshop, the illustrations capture the appearance of a small bulldozer as well as this particular one's personality. There will be plenty of little ones who will love this book, but I didn't find it particularly charming.

[Lynnette]

I would have given this one star. The best thing about the book is the illustrations are well done. Otherwise, it's pretty creepy. The ending comes out of left field because there weren't any clues that he had sisters. The phrase little bulldozer is also extremely gross to have to say multiple times out loud. It's like my personal moist. I would rather hear moist a gazillion times in a sentence then have to say little bulldozer again. But, my toddler adores this book. It really hits with the little kids so I gave it a higher rating because it is so beloved by him.

[Melanie Hetrick]

A tractor is not sleepy so repeatedly disobeys his "parents" orders to go to sleep.

I live in a very rural area where farm and construction equipment are regular entertainment. So this book will have a place on my library shelves. However, I have to say, that the digital artwork leaves much to be desired. And a tractor with two tractor siblings, living in a house with human parents makes no kind of sense. A child is going to expect a tractor child to have tractor parents. Stupid book.

[Ryan]

This book is nothing new. It’s about a little kid that needs to go to bed. In this case, the kids a bulldozer. The book goes through all the trials and tribulations of getting bulldozer to go to bed until they find just the right accommodation. The best thing about this book or the illustrations. Otherwise, this book is the same. It’s been done by others done better done worse. But it’s nothing new and nothing exciting.

[Sheri]

Human parents put to bed a little bulldozer after a big day of play. Odd to me to have humans and trucks in a mixed family but it is an interesting concept. The bulldozer is childlike and is tired after a day of play. Good choice for little boys who want to read books or listen to stories about trucks and construction vehicles and is not in rhyme as Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site was.

[Amanda]

If you want a book that is Ozman at bedtime, this is the one! Little Bulldozer is ready for bed, but not ready to sleep! Parents of preschoolers who struggle from #fomo will totally relate to this book. I even used the same voice for the mom as I do when I struggle with the Ozman getting ready for bed. Great book.

[matteo]

Does your kid like construction? Does your kid not like going to bed? Does your kid like setting up forts and sleeping areas not in bed? This book is for you. Parts of it are odd in terms of the bulldozer's family, but it's interesting to see how the physical aspects of a bulldozer living in a regular human home are presented.

[Laura Salas]

I love this story of a little bulldozer who doesn't want to go to bed. Lots of great humor, and the art was great (though I wish it were just a bit more vibrant to make it more easily seen by a group of kids). And as someone who spent *years* sleeping on the floor of my big sister's bedroom, I totally got the resolution. Funny and sweet.

[Abby Peskin]

The illustrations in this book are very cute and would be very engaging for any child who loves construction vehicles. The engaging bulldozer gets ready for bed with the help of his parents, and is tucked in for bed. However, when he finds that he can’t fall asleep, he has to get creative to get cozy enough to get tired.

[Marilyn]

Great book for young children if you need something new for a bedtime story! Children will be amused as the bulldozer makes his way round the house. In the end he figures out what he needs to be able to fall asleep.

[Pam]

It's bedtime for little bulldozer - who is enormous, by the way. His (human) family gives him lots of help taking a bath and brushing his teeth but when it's time to go quietly upstairs Little Bulldozer gets in trouble - he's not sleepy at all!

[Margaret Boling]

7/27/2019 ~ Take a look at the family portraits with heads of heavy machinery. This story will resonate with families who have the perennial difficulty of getting kids into bed and asleep. The illustrations were really dark, perhaps fitting for drowsy evening reading.

[Debbie]

Our five year old granddaughter things this book is great. She laughs hysterically when the parents kiss the bulldozer goodnight. "Really? -- they KISSED a BULLDOZER?!" -- she loves the story and so do we.

[James]

It was a cute story, but honestly I'm curious and concerned about the society and how genetics work in that world. Human parents with a bulldozer, excavator, and a steam roller for children? And what look like humans with vehicle heads in pictures on the walls? More than a little disconcerting.

[pati]

Bedtime at its finest.

[Lisa D]

What cute book ! Perfect for bedtime

[Miss Sarah]

A bulldozer with human parents can't seem to settle down for the night. What will help him? Cute. preschool and up

[Alyssa]

Will skip for storytime.

[Amy]

My toddler loved this bedtime book.

[Brittany]

This book is kind of clunky to read aloud, but the little boys will love it!

[Alison]

Seriously cute, just don't overthink it.