Quand la forêt s'endort...

by Carole Lexa Schaefer, Vanessa Cabban

"Author and illustrator make bedtime about as appealing as it gets." — PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (starred review)

It's sleepytime down in the woods, but not one of the baby animals is ready to go to bed. The bear cubs want to play, the little hedgehogs are hungry, the bunnies are peek-a-booing, and their mamas are at their wits' end! Welcome to a delightful woodland world full of tots of all types eluding bedtime — until wise Grandma Owl affirms with a story that the time is just right to say good night.

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

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

When Carole Lexa Schaefer was growing up, she wanted to be both a poet and a journalist. In an unexpected way, she feels she achieved her ambition. While studying for a master's degree in early childhood education, she once put together a picture book made of photo essays. "The lyrical, every-word-counts genre captivated the poet and journalist in me," Carole Lexa Schaefer recalls--and she's been writing stories for children ever since. Her first book with Candlewick, THE COPPER TIN CUP, traces the origin of a family keepsake that's been handed down for generations. "It was inspired by my connections with my immigrant relatives through stories and songs--invisible heirlooms--to keep handing on," she says.

The longtime director of a Seattle preschool that she founded in 1980, Carole Lexa Schaefer often draws on her experience with young children when writing stories. In DOWN IN THE WOODS AT SLEEPYTIME, not one of the baby animals in the woods is ready to go to bed, until Grandma Owl finally finds a way to settle everyone down. The author says she was inspired "by all my friends at Little Friends Preschool who like to play just a little bit longer--even at sleepytime." Luckily, preschool teachers now have some help at nap time: DOWN IN THE WOODS AT SLEEPYTIME, says PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, is a book in which "author and artist make bedtime about as appealing as it gets."


With her next books, Carole Lexa Schaefer switches gears from sleepytime to partytime. FULL MOON BARNYARD DANCE is a rousing read-aloud that showcases farm animals dancing as they learn to appreciate their differences. ONE WHEEL WOBBLES, a zany counting book, follows one fun-loving family on Family Parade Day as they roll along on an ever-increasing number of wheels--Gramma on a motorcycle, Sister on a trike, and Grampa on some snazzy skates. Of ONE WHEEL WOBBLES, Carole Lexa Schaefer explains, "I wanted to create a counting book for children with which they could have a rollicking good time."


Carole Lexa Schaefer, who has a master's degree in early childhood education from the University of Washington, taught school for ten years in places as varied as Taiwan, Switzerland, and Micronesia, as well as Missouri and Washington. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, the author now lives in Seattle.

Reviews

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about a forest of animals trying to get its young ones to sleep.

Lovely illustrations and beautiful use of words. A very calming story with a very soothing rhythm. The pictures are lovely especially the irst double spread and the last double spread.

Would be a brilliant book to calm children down in an Early Years Setting.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are soft and lovely for this bedtime story. Young bears, rabbits, hedgehogs, frogs all want to play, sing, or snack longer when their mothers tell them it's sleepytime. Grandmother Owl has the best idea to settle them down for sleep.

[Amanda Walz · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute

[Rachel Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute simple bedtime story about creatures in the woods. It teaches that no matter what or who you are, bed time comes along and Mom's all have the babies best interest in their heart.

[Dominika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple text but likeable and good for quick read before bedime.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Animals. Bed time. Yada yada. There are so many of these books that I love, and this one just isn't one of them.

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone making an animated video of this exact book would be so perfect!

[Lindsey Duncan]

This book would be great to learn about the animals in the forest. I think students could relate to not going to bed at night.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the young animals throughout the woods are having too much fun playing to answer their moms’ attempts to get them into bed. Finally wise grandma owl lures them all to bed with a story. It’s a sweet book that the kids asked for over and over again so they could join in with the young animals as they said, “Uh uh” to protest bedtime.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful personable characters, 2-page impace with minimal text that introduces the name of the adult animal and the name applied to the babies of the same species (Mama rabbit and her bunnies), good facial expressions on creatures.

[Jewel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The boys rarely chose this book to read, but when we did it was a good quite book for bed time, they're too old for it now, but I'm keeping it for their younger brother. It's very beautifully illustrated.

[Bmack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Themes - bedtime, woods, animals. This book has large beautiful illustrations and shows different forest animal families getting ready for sleeytime. Complete with wise grandma owl giving them all a storytime!

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect book to read to toddlers before bed! In fact the message is that kids can only fall asleep after you read them a story! The illustrations are adorable... more cute bears and cute bunnies, which I can never get enough of, plus the cutest and most ridiculous looking frogs you'll ever see.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's subtle but you can see the light getting slowly dimmer as we move from animal family to animal family. The illustrations parallel each other in a pleasant way. This seems simple on the surface, but there's a bit more thought put into it if you examine it more thoroughly.

[Rose]

E Sch

[Margaret Chind · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really cute. We read it at the library, but I think I will be looking for the board book version for us. Another one to add in our collection.

[MJ]

out of print would like to have odc if comes back in
Bedtime

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An animal bedtime story sure to set the children on the road to sleepytime themselves. Wonderful, sweet illustrations.

[Nisah Haron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and cuddly. My little ones loved it.

[Athena · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, animal-themed bedtime story.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

When their mothers announce that it is bedtime, the baby animals of the forest express their objections; but when wise old Grandma Owl hoots that it's storytime, they respond differently.

[Michelle Farella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for Teddy Bear sleepover program or bedtime storytime

[Little Champs]

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