Bedtime for Mommy

by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, LeUyen Pham (Illustrator)

When it's Mommy's bedtime, she begs her little girl for five more minutes? Ok, but then brush your teeth! But then Mommy wants another glass of water...more bath toys...
A hilarious reversal of the classic bedtime routine in which a little girl puts Mommy (and then Daddy) to bed.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Storytime, Humor, Fiction, Kids

32 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

SHORT BIO:

Amy Krouse Rosenthal was.
She divided her time.


NOT SO SHORT BIO:

Amy Krouse Rosenthal was a person who liked to make things.
Some things she liked to make include:

Children's books. (Little Pea, Spoon, DuckRabbit)
Grown-up books. (Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life)
Short films. (The Beckoning of Lovely, The Money Tree)
Guided journals. (The Belly Book)
Something out of nothing. (see above)

A longtime contributor to WBEZ and to the TED conference,
Amy lived with her family in Chicago and online at whoisamy.com.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun brand-new story of role-reversal in typical Amy Krouse Rosenthal style. Here, we have a daughter urging and helping her mom get ready for bed. In other AKR books (such as Little Hoot and Little Oink) it seems like the "role reversal" is only in the readers minds--because we KNOW that owls like to stay up all night or that pigs are "messy"--whereas in the world of the story itself the situations are very much "real" and earnest. Here, however, I think that the entire set-up is like a game for the characters in the story, too. The mom is letting her daughter run with the fun of being the "bedtime boss" but I don't think we are ever meant to believe that the daughter is really the one in charge--nor does the daughter believe it, either. So, the story is very fun in that regard but it also misses some of the charm of Rosenthal's other books because of it. Also, I was not a super fan of the illustrations--they work in terms of adding to the storytelling but the style itself just wasn't my cup of tea. (I was also a tad offended by the illustration featuring the dad sitting in front of the TV eating chips and sipping soda--meanwhile, the images we have of Mommy are of her working busily in front of her computer... I am all about showing strong women but I am not so much a fan of making dad seem like an underachiever by comparison). Still, overall I think kids will have a great deal of fun with this book and it brought me a lot of smiles--just be ready for some requests for this bedtime role reversal in your own home as it looks like way too much fun to be ignored ;->

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed out loud when the little girl, weary but still game after giving her mommy a bath, laying our her clothes for the next day, reading a story (Anna Karenina), and providing a glass of water, shuffles down the stairs and says, "One down, one to go." I think Daddy might be a tougher time!

Illustrations by LeUyen Pham, as usual, wonderfully expressive and natural.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful tale of switched roles where the daughter is putting her Mom through the typical bedtime routine, making sure she takes her bath, brushes her teeth long enough, and picks out clothes for the next day. Then it's storytime and lights out and she can get the next one in bed...Daddy. Our girls really enjoyed this book and so did I. The requests for an extra story and a glass of water are funny and only highlight the juxtaposition. More often than not I tumble into bed shortly after saying goodnight to our girls so we go through the same routines together. This book could almost be about us!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple twist, with lively illustrations

[Ietrio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved the story and the idea of role reversal. And it does make a point to both grown ups and children as well.

[Felicia Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

baby girl and me love this book. :D

[Rachel Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little story. Read it because I heard there’s a family movie with Jennifer Garner coming out based on this book. JG is my fave. Interesting how an entire movie will be based on this short little 2 minute read….

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite children's book. I tease my kids every day that I'm ready to act out "Bedtime for Mommy".

[Fjóla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm beginning to see that author Amy Krouse Rosenthal has got something. I gradually came to Duck! Rabbit!, after thinking at first it was just a one read/one joke book, I liked It's Not Fair! so so, although I identified with a lot of the humor, then came Spoon which we found absolutely hilarious (especially my son), a little bit in the spirit of It's Not Fair! but so much more good natured. Well, I was sold on Bedtime within the first two page spreads. Oh, so true! My son was a little perplexed at first, something did not seem right to him, and he started arguing with me on the bath page: "but, these are not bath toys!?!". Then a broad smile began spreading over his face as he watched the little girl pick out clothes for mommy and he started reveling in this role reversal, anticipating and winking at all the familiar tricks mommy was pulling to stall her bedtime. This is a fun read, and it invites discussion. The illustrations are great, spot on, tender and humorous. Next in line now are Little Pea and Yes Day! ...

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

A glimpse of what bedtime might play out like if the rolls were reversed.

Ages: 4 - 7

Here’s a few of our bedtime favs: watch my reel!

Content Considerations: shows a woman in the bathtub - nothing visible.

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[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bedtime for Mommy by Amy Krouse Rosenthal takes a humorous look at the most exhausting part of parenting, putting the children to bed.

This time, it's not the child who needs to go to bed — it's the mother. The gentle but persistent daughter goes through all the usual steps to get her mother ready for bed. The mother, meanwhile, does everything she can to stall bedtime: asks for extra bedtime stories, an extra glass of water, not being able to pick out her clothes for the next day. And so forth.

LeUyem Pham's energetic drawings bring this story to life. There's a playfulness to the bedtime ritual. It's funny to see childish expressions on the mother and grown-up ones on the child.

As a mother of children who are sometimes impossible to get into bed, I found the book hilarious. Parents with similar children will enjoy sharing this book with them.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very funny role-reversal story of a young girl who goes through EVERY step of getting a person to bed. When told that it's time for bed, Mommy asks for five more minutes. Then it's bath time and Mommy's bath toys are scented soaps and luxurious sponges. After bath time, mom and daughter pick out the next days outfit. After several outfits are presented, one is finally selected; typical child behavior. Then it's time for bedtime stories. There's only time for one and they choose Anna Karenina. Then there are the requisite glasses of water and please leave the door open just a little bit.

After Mommy is in bed the little girl walks down the stairs saying, "One down, one to go." One of the final pictures is of Dad sitting on the couch looking guilty being told it's time for bed.

[Shazzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

There must be some kind of luck in pairing up with Amy Krouse Rosenthal. She has worked with so many wonderful illustrators, and every time it is a near perfect match. The Little books with Jen Corace, "Duck! Rabbit!" with Tom Lichtenheld and now this with LeUyen Pham. I've long been a fan of Pham's, the "Freckleface Strawberry" books, "Grace for President", etc, and her simple exuberance and expression. Now you give me Pham paired with another one of Rosenthal's charming 'turning the tables' tales? Yes, please. Is "Bedtime for Daddy" next?

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good Rosenthal book. I love the twist in this, which is what made the humor. Hilarious for parents (who can totally understand) and for children will love that twist a lot. I think this may work in a PJ storytime.

11/29/10 Perfect in storytime! The kids loved seeing the mom act like the child. I could hear the parents in the back chuckling, too. They liked the ending (which is very good). And to get a good reading (since it is not very text heavy), I had the kids telling me some of what was going on so they could see more. A good choice.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up at the library while doing a quick, I'm-in-a-hurry-but-the-boys-need-new-books-so-I'll-grab-random-ones-off-the-shelves walk-through the other day. I didn't notice until I got home that it's by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, whose big-person books I love. What a great idea for a kids' story! Kids love to pretend and at least mine love to boss others around. It's cute. I try to focus the boys' attention on the part where the little girl carefully washes her mommy's feet in the tub. Maybe someday they can give me pedicures.

[Ariel Cummins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really funny and cute story about a mommy who needs one more drink of water and one more story before she's ready for bed.

The illustrations in this book really fit well with this text. There's a lot of humor happening in the contrast between the words and drawings -- for example, mommy's bath toys are her fancy soaps and razor.

What a great book for bedtime reading! I think it would be funny to read aloud to a group, but a little of the humor of the illustrations would be lost from farther away.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up at the library last week and Jacob had it memorized two readings later. It's such a fun idea for a book: the little girl gets her mommy ready for bed instead of vice versa. The phrasing is simple, and the pictures are adorable--portraying role reversal with a no-nonsense daughter while the mom acts just like a kid. Emily Blair, I totally thought of Molly when I read it...she'd love it if you haven't checked it out yet.

[Phoebe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent role-reversal picture book with funny illustrations that are worth a thousand words. (My favorites: the rapt expression on Mommy's face as her daughter reads from Anna Karenina, and the startlement on Daddy's face as he, clearly just having settled down with some snacks in front of the TV, is notified that it is his bedtime next.) Try this with kindergartners, they will best appreciate it.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the artist's work and thought the story was cute. Sophie really loved the idea of the little girl getting to be the mommy for a change. I suspect lots of preschoolers will identify with and love the premise. It's very short and sweet with minimal dialogue (that's my biggest complaint - I would have preferred more narration since in my experience dialogue is harder to read-aloud to small children).

[Callie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this short little book w/Tema and Jassie. They both loved it, as did I. We all laughed as we watched with recognition the difficulties of getting "Mommy" to go to sleep. The little girl must help her pick out her clothes for the next day, get a bath, brush her teeth, get some water, and leave the door open just the right amount. Quite enjoyable. There aren't a lot of words here, the pictures really tell the story.

[Skye Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

PB 21: This book was really interesting because it's not the parents putting their child to bed its the child putting the parents to bed. I remember that stage in my life that I wanted to do everything on my own. Also when I wanted to be the boss and tried telling my mom when she could and couldn't do things. Most times my mom would play along which is why I liked this book. A good read for little kids to investigate having responsibility.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any parent who's had a child ask for "just five more minutes" before bedtime, beg for a glass of water, or want two stories before bed will enjoy this book where the tables are turned and it's "Bedtime for Mommy."

This book is best suited for an in-lap reading since some of the illustrations, though detailed, are kind of small.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun book! With some fun little pictures and just a few words, we hear the story of a little girl putting her mommy to bed. But mommy wants to spend five more minutes on the computer, and wants to read two books, not one, in a fun reversal of what normally goes on with putting kids to bed. My five-year-old laughed and laughed, and can't stop talking about it!

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun interpretation of getting Mommy and Daddy ready for bed instead of the child. Cute interpretation and nice pictures by LeUyen Pham. Would read it to get the kids brainstorming about persuading parents to move or discuss bedtimes. A reversal type picture book where child puts parents to bed. Not the classic picture book structure.

[Shaundell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story! Instead of the mom trying to get the little girl go to bed,it's reverse. The daughter helps the mommy put her things away at the end of the day, brush her teeth and take a bath, choose and outfit for the next day, read stories, get a glass of water, and turn off the lights and close the door.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story about a little girl who has to convince mom that it's bedtime and try to fill all mother's demands before her mother will finally fall asleep. I agree with one reviewer that I wish dad weren't such a bad stereotype, but still a pretty adorable book.

I just got it for the coming baby, along with classic pooh ABC and 123 books, from the HPB.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 2-year-old really enjoyed this book and it was cute for me to read as well! Such a cute idea that the child is putting mommy to bed instead of the other way around! Not many words and I ended up narrating some parts with just pictures, but he would ask to read it each night before bed while we were borrowing it from the library.

[Phoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hahahahahaha.....funny and sweet book and now I think Phoenix understands the bit of stress it takes to get her into bed. She has been trying to get me to bed at bedtime too and so sweet! I pretend to fall asleep and but she pushes me awake to read a book! Also love it because its from one of our favorite authors.

[Laura Giessler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tables are turned as the daughter puts her parents to bed. I especially enjoyed (and related to) the first part where the daughter has to pry her mother away from all her busy tasks to make her go to bed! Good reminder that this is what it can feel like to our older kids when we nag them to go to bed.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if kids had to put parents to bed instead of the other way around? Would your mommy go right to sleep or would she ask for a glass of water and for a story and to stay up just 5 more minutes? This is a fun book to read to your parents when they should be sleeping!