Au Lit Dans Dix Minutes

by Peggy Rathmann

It's almost bedtime At I Hoppin Place the fun begins when a family of hamsters--with ten offspring wearing jerseys numbered from one to ten--arrives at the door. There are only ten minutes left, and there's still so much to do But with the help of the Hamsters' 10-Minute Bedtime Tour (guided by his own per hamster), the little boy is able to get his toys put away, his pajamas on, his teeth brushed, and his bedtime story read--all in the nick of time. This lively introduction to bedtime rituals and the concept of counting backwards will have young readers eagerly awaiting their own countdown to bedtime.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Counting, Fantasy, Humor, Animals

60 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 1998

About the author

Caldecott-medalist Margaret Crosby "Peggy" Rathmann was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and grew up in the suburbs with two brothers and two sisters. Ms. Rathmann studied commercial art at the American Academy in Chicago, fine art at the Atelier Lack in Minneapolis, and children's-book writing and illustration at the Otis Parsons School of Design in Los Angeles. She currently lives and works in Nicasio, CA on a ranch she shares with her husband, John Wick, and a very funny bunch of birds.

Reviews

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

1998 December 26


This was a Christmas present from me to Mike the year we were waiting for the Possum. The Spouse had been fond of saying that the hamsters came and threw a party and wrecked the place while he was sleeping, so I gave him a book in which the hamsters came and got into trouble.

***

2001 Jan 13

One of the most beloved picture books we have. I don't know how it came up the other night, but I told the girls why I'd given their father a copy of it. So then Tash wanted to read it again but she couldn't find our copy (I suspect it is packed away with other toddler delights). Last night we went to the library and she asked me to get it for her. She read it while the Spouse and I were fixing supper. After supper she wanted to read it together, with me providing the father's voice, and she, the hamsters. And then Veronica came in, and she hadn't read it in forever, so we all went through it again. We had to look in amazement at the pictures of the book within the book, we had to find the ten little hamsters in every picture (the girls didn't remember that they are each doing a distinctive thing in each spread [like 9 is always up high, and 8 is always hiding his/her head under something]), and we had to laugh in delight at the stuffed gorilla, and the stuffed Officer Buckle & Gloria, and at the shadows of Good Night, Gorilla in the background.

A good picture book delights a child on repeated reading. A brilliant picture book delights adults and children on repeated viewing. This is one of the ten best picture books of all time.

Personal copy

[Candice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a super book! With so few words, you might think it would be a quick read, but the pictures are so detailed and hilarious that you'll want to spend a long time on each page. As the boy's father reads the newspaper (turned to the travel section), he announces "10 minutes till bedtime. The boy and his hamster are looking out the window and the hamster announces, "They're coming." "They" are a family of hamsters who have signed up for the "10 Minutes Til Bedtime Tour." All the boy's oblivious father does in the story is tell how many minutes it is until bedtime. We see the boy sharing a snack with the hamsters, brushing his teeth, getting into his pajamas, reading a story (by coincidence it's 10 Minutes till Bedtime), welcoming more hamsters, and finally getting into bed. Peggy Rathman proves that even something like a hamster can have its own individual personality. I found myself looking for hamster #8 on each page to see what it was getting into. An excellent book for all ages.

[McKenna Mozingo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic book, on the edge of my seat with every page turn. My only concern? There is no hamster 10 on page 12. The book lacked the necessary consistency for me and because of this I must regretfully give this book 4⭐️/5

[Vintage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wandering down nostalgia lane. I can't say enough about this book. It deals with a little boy's dreaded bedtime ritual and the minions who try and help him.

Other than the countdown, there is no prose here so mom, dad, grandparent or whoever can be as creative as they want. The details are fun and whimsical and kids can find something new overtime they look at the page. My son used to stop me from turning the page as he looked for new antics.

Another great bedtime book that breaks the mold.

[Pink Leaf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, but got a little wild for me. 🙃 However, I loved a few things:
1) the newspaper in the beginning
2) the in book references to other books, especially Officer Buckle and Gloria
3) the page where where a scene from “Goodnight, Gorilla” is happening outside the window (this is actually why I read the book, bc someone told me about how it was fun how the books connected)
4) the pages where the book “10 Minutes til Bedtime” was being read inside the book & you could see the picture repeated, so cute!

[Westminster Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wordless picture book that captures the routine before bedtime. Young ones can make up their own story as they snuggle up with this book and drift off to sleep. Adults will enjoy the finer details contained in the illustrations and the story within the story.

Find 10 Minutes till Bedtime at the Westminster Public Library!

[Isobel Hermans]

10 Minutes Till Bedtime by Peggy Rathman is a wordless book that tells the story of a young kid who has 10 minutes to get ready for bed. On each page, he does a new task to prepare for sleep, assisted by a family of mice. He brushes his teeth, puts on pajamas, reads a book, and takes a bath as more mice join in their mini cars, trucks, etc. All the while, his dad is calling from the living room counting down the minutes until bed time. The boy struggles to get the mice to leave, but eventually they all file out as he snuggles in to sleep. The only words in the book come from the countdown and comments from the head mouse who repeats the countdown or announces the arrival of more mice.
This adorable book is simple and relatable in its narrative. Any student can relate to the scramble before bedtime and the text that is featured is easy to read and repetitive. The illustrations carry the bulk of the story and engage the attention most. The drawings are vivid, with every inch of the page covered by color and objects. It is almost like a Where’s Waldo story, with tiny details in each mouse that you can read this book 1 million times and find something new to see. Certain pages even show several different events in chronology, as the boy rushes around to get out of the bath, the steps connected by the trail of mice caravans.
Again this book was one I read as a kid, often right before my own bedtime. I delighted in choosing my favorite mice vehicles or relating to the rush and franticness of the story. Even without words, “readers” can enjoy losing themself in the simple story presented through the illustrations.
Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie dePaola: This is a simple story of a woman who wakes up, decides she wants pancakes, and follows the steps in making them homemade (including collecting eggs, churning butter, and borrowing maple syrup). Her pets then eat the ingredients so she goes to her neighbors house to get pancakes from them.
Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day: With intricate oil-pastel drawn illustrations, this story is about a dog named Carl who is tasked with watching the baby as Mom runs errands. He is dutiful and diligent as the baby gets into crazy positions, like swimming in the fish tank or going down the laundry chute.
These three wordless books can all be used when practicing procedural writing. Students can “read” the books (reading), discuss the steps with a partner (speaking/listening), and then write the steps of the story (writing).

[Beatrice Gormley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boy's pet hamster directs a horde of hamster day-trippers to participate in the boy's bedtime routine. This story, with the nonstop creativity of Peggy Rathmann's illustrations, was just as delightful as her Goodnight Gorilla. Except that I have an invasion of mice right now, and I couldn't help imagining them driving their little RV's into my kitchen and spreading out their tiny beach towels beside my bathtub.

[Jenna Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time we read this book at bedtime, I spot even more silliness hiding in the pages. When we’re done, my daughter spends the next 10 minutes snuggled in bed, giggling and flipping through it all over again.

It works perfectly as a quick read or a long silly adventure depending on how the night’s going.

Every family needs a hamster #8.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

My family (the bigger and smallest members) enjoys Rathmann's "Goodnight Gorilla" so I picked this up at our local library. At first I wasn't too impressed, but multiple readings have made it a favorite. A kid and his hampster are taking a hampster family on a tour of his house, and hilarity ensues. But what makes it wonderful are the himsical, exquisitely detailed illustrations alongside minimal text. Each time I read it to my 3 year old I see more fun and cuteness (on one of the last pages the mother hampster is knitting a shirt for what is presumed to be her expected baby hampster. Adorable!) I love love love it and want to own a copy.

*If you watch closely, you will see the cast of "Goodnight Gorilla" in silhouette, and the cast of "Officer Buckle and Gloria", her Caldecott winning book.

[JTMLX · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, best as a board book for younger children, will not put anyone to sleep. It helps settle small children, though. Concentrating on the activities of all the tiny hamsters, and the small touches of humor on each page, removes other thoughts and concerns from those small children, and reinforces the idea that it's normal to go to sleep (the little person visited by all the darling hamsters does it, without a fuss, but in their own way). The packed pages don't lose their interest (the activities become familiar), and, as you know, small children love repetition.

[Villain E · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm looking for bedtime books which are calming. This is not that. But it is fun and my kids love it. A dad tells a boy he has ten minutes until bedtime. The boy's pet hamster invites a bunch of other hamsters over. The dad continues to count down every minute (so this works as a counting book) while the hamsters get up to shenanigans. The only text in the book is the countdown and one baby hamster making little comments. Everything else is told through the art, and there's a lot to look at.

[J9 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute pictures, but the story wasn't too engaging. Maybe I read it at the wrong time or there was too much going on it the pictures. It was cute, just not one of our favorites.

[Lora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little kids book about a boy and his bedtime routine, and the many, many hamsters who are involved in making it special. My kids LOVE this book.

[Cosette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable

[Sarai Clemente · Rating 5 out of 5]

Final Reading Log: I loved it! I laughed a lot through the pics of the book!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much to look at in all of the pictures. Look for the Goodnight Gorilla shout out!

[Kylie Sanders · Rating 2 out of 5]

10 Minutes till Bedtime was a book I had never seen before but picked it up due to the interesting title and me being curious if this could be a counting book that I could possibly share to my class that was not a familiar read. The book begins with a creative title page that is hamsters giving a computer "10 minute bedtime tour" by the hamsters of the boy in the story. There really is no story with minimal words with the drawings and countdown till bedtime being it. The hamsters countdown until 1 minute until bedtime with a parade going through the boy's bedtime routine, then when it is bedtime the boy switching it up and telling his hamsters to go to bed. The cartoon like drawings reminded me of a graphic novel, and although a funny and creative idea, it took me two times reading the book to understand the point of this counting book... which is that there is not a point other than a funny concept that possibly would appeal to parents more than the children. The counting is different since this book focuses on counting backwards, but the text is so small due to characters having word bubbles that a child couldn't even read the text. I don't think this would be a good example of a counting book to read to a class or used as a free reading option since the illustrations are average, the plot is confusing, and the text is hard to read and follow the "busy" illustrations. I just don't think a reader would learn much or be able to understand counting as a concept with the illustrations or text, even though counting books usually don't include much text, so I feel that says something about the book.

[Julia Gates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Picture Books: Wordless Picture Book
Awards: None.
Audience: Ages 2-4 years old.
A. 10 Minutes Till Bedtime is a wordless picture book because the meaning of the story is told through carefully sequenced and detailed illustrations with very little text.
B. Each page of 10 Minutes Till Bedtime is a double spread that features many hamsters as they, and a young boy, get ready for bed. Among the hamsters on each page, there are 10 hamsters that are wearing orange and yellow striped pajamas and are labeled 1-10. These hamsters are featured throughout each illustration doing something different. The number 10 corresponds to the 10 minutes they have before they go to bed. These 10 hamsters can be counted on each page and are seen doing the same thing as the boy does as they get ready for bed. The hamsters help the readers understand what is going on in the story.
C. I would use this book as a one-on-one story time with a child. The book could be used to teach story telling, as the child could write the text of the story based on how they interpret the illustrations.
D. How many minutes were left before bed when more hamsters came? 5 minutes.

[Brewer Tunstall · Rating 4 out of 5]

10 Minutes Till Bedtime by Peggy Rathmann
This wonderful picture book has little words, but the illustrations do all of the explaining. In the beginning when there is 10 minutes till bedtime the illustrations show all of these little animals coming inside. As the minutes decrease the pictures show them getting ready for bedtime by: eating a snack, brushing teeth, taking a bath, and reading. When the dad says 5 minutes until bedtime a little animal screams into his microphone and says "FIVE MINUTES". Finally, when the 10 minutes are up all of the animals leave and the little boy climbs into bed. After the 10 minutes is called the words stop, but the illustrations keep going. The pictures show the readers that the dad tucks the little boy into bed and all of the animals make it home safely. I love how bright the illustrations are and all of the animals doing different things grab your attention. I recommend this picture book for preschoolers because it teaches them how to get ready for bedtime without using lots of words.

[Hank Sutherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

"10 Minutes till Bedtime", both written and illustrated by Peggy Rathmann, is a wholesome book about a child preparing for bed. The events of the book begin to unfold when the kid's father announces that it is 10 minutes until bedtime. The kid goes through a series of events, such as brushing teeth, taking a bath, and reading to an army of hamsters. The father announces every minute that has passed, until eventually it is bedtime. The child makes it into bed, and the story ends with the father kissing his child on the cheek. There is a lot of humor in the book, such as the kid reading "10 Minutes till Bedtime" as that exact series of events unfolds before their very eyes. The illustrations are superb, and it is no wonder that it is a Caldecott Medal Winner. The drawing style is wispy yet defined, and the book would be dull if it were simply counting down from 10 to 1. I enjoyed this book, and because of its simplicity, I would recommend its use for Kindergarten.

[Jennifer Rodriguez-Aguilar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book titled “10 Minuets Till Bedtime” by Peggy Rahman is basically the countdown of a bedtime tour told by hamsters. The book has very few words and the words that are there are the words used to count down the minuets till bedtime. The illustrations in this book are super detailed and you can tell that they took their time on it. In each page each hamster is doing their own routine before bedtime so even though the book doesn’t have much words, it still tells a story through the pictures.
This book would be great for math teaches. I think student who are struggling in class would benefit from this book because it has little words and they count down. Furthermore, this book would be great for independent reading as well for kids who struggle with their reading skills and comprehension skills.

[Isabella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book has almost no words except the repeating countdown to bedtime. The cover of the book is colorful and draws you in to want to look at the pages. Once you get to the first page you learn that the child has 10 minutes before bed time and like every other kid, he does not want to go to bed. This book takes you on a wonderfully illustrated story of what he does with his last 10 minutes. Each page is filled with good chaos as tons of hamsters show up at the house in a parade and disturb the child's night time routine. The colors on the pages seem to pop off and the attention to detail on each page will make you stare at them for minutes. I would recommend this book for children in kindergarten through second grade. This would be a good read for before nap time or at the end of the day.

[Brianna N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: This book is about a boy and his ten hamsters. He is suppose to be getting ready for bed. His dad keeps yelling to him how many minutes he has left till bedtime. Its the story until bedtime that never has to end. The hamsters all have a number on there shirts. It is a fun adventure to look for the ten hamsters on each page.

Analysis: This book is great for knowing counting to ten. This book is a book that I would love to read before bedtime. This shows how we can get to be quicker with fun animals.

Use in the classroom: I can use this in the classroom for nap time. I can also use it in the classroom for a search and find. I can also use it to show the kids what to do when getting ready for bed. I can also show them that they need to listen to their parents when they are told to go to bed.

[Takia Toomer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute bedtime story filled with amazing illustrations that take us on a journey to bedtime. When kids get that dreadful 10-minute warning to hit the sack they think of everything on earth to do to make those 10 minutes count. The youngster takes his pet hamsters on a tour and get this, reads “10 minutes till Bedtime” to his guests. Peggy Rathmann was brilliant with incorporating the “normal” bedtime routine of reading, brushing teeth, eating a snack, taking a bath, and putting on clean pajamas to have a great night's rest. This book is a great tool to teach young children that 10 minutes is all the time needed to have fun and get prepared for bed. I recommend this book for kids 8 and under.

[Teyanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This children's book is about a someone's last 10 minutes before bedtime. It shows them doing nightly tasks like brushing heir teeth and putting on pajamas. With the only words being "___ minutes to bedtime!", the readers look to the illustrations to be able to interpret what is happening.

This wordless picture book stimulates a child's mind and engages their attention, as they wouldn't be able to understand if they weren't looking at the pictures. The images on the pages cover the while page, and contain a lot of detail, with minimal wording, room is saved for the pictures. This book is for beginning readers, and it is perfect for just that. Children learn the simple tasks that should be done at night, and they learn the basics of reading.

[Stephen Inoue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a classic bed time routine book with wonderful illustrations with a hidden visual reference to Rathmann's Goodnight Gorilla which is also a must get book.

We got this book along with a hamster for our two kids (tip: don't put the hamster cage in the kid's room as they are nocturnal!).

Our kids would get a 10 minute call out for bedtime to go wipe their faces, brush their teeth and head to bed where I would ask them which book they wanted to be read from.

They loved this book because it mimics the same routines with the inclusion of a whole parade of hamsters and hilarity. Each time the kids would catch something new that would delight them.

Rathmann's cadence makes it a great book for first readers & adults alike.

[Tara Keefe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great wordless book for you to enjoy with your students! Although they are not many words in this book, the illustrations are so detailed that you can understand what is going on without them. This is a great book you can use to talk about and ask questions while reading it. This book helps to teach counting by the minutes going down on every page, as well as showing a child's nighttime routine! I think my favorite page in the book is where it says" one minute till bedtime" and the boy is laying in the bathtub, illustration wise, there is so much going on and everything is detailed so well. This is the kind of book you could read over and over and always find something new that you didn't see before!

[Catherine Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

"10 Minutes Till Bedtime" by Peggy Rathmann is a charming bedtime story designed for young children. Rathmann's simple yet captivating storytelling sets the stage for a delightful bedtime routine. The story centers on Sam, a young boy who must put his ten hamsters to bed in just ten minutes. Sam's imaginative efforts to manage his lively hamsters make for a funny and engaging narrative. What I loved about this book are the intricate illustrations, overflowing with captivating details that draw young readers into Sam's world as he counts down to bedtime.
Parents will find it a perfect addition to their nightly routine, while children will adore the amusing hamster antics. This book is perfect way to introduce counting and create an enjoying and entertaining bedtime.

[Alyssa Rosanelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awards the Book Has Received:
N/A

Appropriate Grade Level(s):
Pre-K - K

Original Summary:
A family of hamsters, a mother, father, and nine kids, are all counting down for bed time. This book is wordless and has really great pictures that allow you to tell the story without words.

Original Review:
This book is adorable and a really good way to introduce the concept of counting to children in a fun way. I love the illustrations and think that they do a really good job of drawing in children's attention.

Possible In-Class Uses:
Have the children describe what is going on in the story based on the pictures