Tell Me a Story Before I Go to Bed

by Sam McBratney, Sebastien Braun (Illustrator)

A warm, soothing bedtime story by the author of Guess How Much I Love You —one of the best-selling children's books of all time. Anna-Sophia's dad says he will tell her a story when they go up the wooden hill. But Anna-Sophia isn't sure where to find the wooden hill, so Dad gives her some clues! It isn't far away. It has lots of creaky steps. And he carries her up it piggyback every night. Can Anna-Sophia solve the riddle before it's time for bed? A tender tale that's perfect at bedtime.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

The 1943 born Northern Ireland native started writing children's books when he was a teacher in his thirties, with the aim of helping out students who had trouble reading. But he continued writing for a more-personal reason: "the act of imagining simply makes me feel good," he says. The fifty-seventh book of Sam McBratney's career, and his first book with Candlewick Press, was the much-loved GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU, which has sold an astonishing 15 million copies worldwide, and is available in 37 languages. "This is not the sort of thing you expect when most of your books have been remaindered," the author admits. "But, as the frog trapped in the milk discovered, if you keep going, sometimes you find yourself walking on cream cheese."

Where does Sam McBratney get his inspiration? "I told my children stories when they were young," he says, "so when I write I try to think of what they would have liked." But there may be another source guiding his writing as well. The author's father--who worked as a type compositor with the BELFAST TELEGRAPH, and whose favorite books were westerns--is the person Sam McBratney credits for giving him his love of the English language. "Most of my picture books--GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU, THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS, JUST ONE!, and JUST YOU AND ME--explore the relationship between a big one and a wee one," the author notes. "The big one is not called the father in the stories, but that's what he is. Although my dad died before I became a writer, the father in my stories has a voice and a presence that he would have recognized and understood."

In addition to authoring many books for children, Sam McBratney wrote radio plays for adults and a prize-winning collection of short stories. He received a degree in history and political science from Trinity College, Dublin, and worked for many years as a teacher.

Reviews

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ✮✮✮✮

A short but great read for the little ones, supplying a simple riddle for the children to solve. It is nice with a read that gets the kids involved, and seeing how happy they are once they figure it out. Only downside, of course, is that the book - once read - is no longer quite as exciting :)

[Alex Matzkeit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es ist schon ein bisschen lustig, wie Sam McBratney hier 12 Jahre nach seinem großen Erfolg Guess How Much I Love You immer noch über Väter schreibt, die ihren Kindern Geschichten erzählen, während die Mütter abwesend oder stumm sind. (Annas Mutter darf ihr am Anfang die Haare bürsten und einmal vor Freude in die Hände klatschen, aber ansonsten spielt sie keine Rolle, obwohl sie sich höchstwahrscheinlich den ganzen Tag um sie gekümmert hat.) Von Rollenbildern mal abgesehen, ist die Struktur des Buchs schon ziemlich clever - ein Gute-Nacht-Rätsel in einer häuslichen Szene bringt die Hauptfigur zum Nachdenken und erlaubt die Illustration von vielen Szenen außerhalb des Hauses und somit eine Reise durch das Leben der Figur - sehr niedlich umgesetzt von Sebastien Braun. Zu bemängeln bei der deutschen Ausgabe ist ein fetter Lektoratsfehler (an einer Stelle steht im Text der Name der Hauptfigur als "Anna Sophia" wie im Original, obwohl sie sonst überall nur "Anna" heißt) und eine Schriftart, die sehr merkwürdige Anführungszeichen hat.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A warm, soothing bedtime read is quite right.

[Mamikie Mmky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thw wooden hill. Smart play on words.

[Rachel Hinds]

Lovely picture book. Guessing game and encouraging children to think of clues.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not so much a "story" as it is a cute bedtime riddle that a young girl is trying to solve before going up to bed. It's cute and a fun way to make young kids think in a "puzzle" type way.

[OxoNewbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a charming book with lovely illustrations centred around a riddle. My little one was very intrigued.

3 stars.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anna-Sophia is a little squirrel who loves her creaky old house. Before she goes to bed one night, her father tells her he'll take her up the wooden hill before she goes to bed. She tries to figure out what her father is talking about, and eventually solves the riddle after she gets a few more clues.

I liked this story about giving a little one some mental exercise before bed. Young readers can try to solve the riddle before Anna-Sophia. There aren't a ton of picture books out there that feature squirrels, but kids love these fluffy, scampering critters so good choice on the illustrator's part too.