What do you think?
Rate this book
Cornelius P. Mud
Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Bed?
Bedtime rituals take a silly twist in this humorous read-aloud sure to get restless little ones ready for their good-night hug.
Cornelius P. Mud, do you know what time it is?
It's time for bed, and Cornelius P. Mud knows what that means — putting his toys away, brushing his teeth, putting his pajamas on, all the things we do every night. Right? Wrong! Bedtime at Cornelius's house is no ordinary event. Whether it's stuffing toys in the fridge or playing rodeo in the bathroom, this plucky piggy has his own ideas. So no, Cornelius isn't quite ready for bed — he's having too much fun!
Cornelius P. Mud, do you know what time it is?
It's time for bed, and Cornelius P. Mud knows what that means — putting his toys away, brushing his teeth, putting his pajamas on, all the things we do every night. Right? Wrong! Bedtime at Cornelius's house is no ordinary event. Whether it's stuffing toys in the fridge or playing rodeo in the bathroom, this plucky piggy has his own ideas. So no, Cornelius isn't quite ready for bed — he's having too much fun!
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
2 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
Barney Saltzberg
106 books149 followersBarney Saltzberg is the author and illustrator of close to 50 books for children, including Beautiful Oops!, Arlo Needs Glasses, Good Egg, Cornelius P. Mud , Crazy Hair Day and the bestselling Touch and Feel Kisses series with over 800,000 copies in print. He has two new releases, Tea With Grandpa and Chengdu Could Not Would Not Fall Asleep coming this spring.
Additionally, he’s recorded four CDs of music for children. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two dogs.
Additionally, he’s recorded four CDs of music for children. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two dogs.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
October 14, 2008
Category: Picture Book
Audience: Baby-Preschool
Brief Description: Cornelius P. Mud needs to get ready for bed, but are his belongings really put away?
I enjoyed this story, but the illustrations were the best part. The colors are so bright and the words on the page are large enough to assist young readers. The pictures are really fun and humorous and I bet children can identify with Cornelius, who in the end is very sweet. This book was humorous and intrigued me about additional books by the same other. The School Library Journal says “it is the art that tells the whole story. Through Saltzberg's acrylic-and-pencil illustrations, readers see that while the young pig did put his toys away, he put them in the refrigerator,” and that “ This book is sure to generate laughs from children and adults alike.” Booklist says “The oversize pictures offer plenty of space for humor, and Saltzberg employs comedy to full advantage […] Set against fruity background colors (lime, cantaloupe, tangerine), the simply drawn pigs play out their respective roles.”
Sources:
Cooper, I. (2005). Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Bed? (Book). Booklist, 101(17), p1593-1593.
Unger, K. R. (2005). Saltzberg, Barney. Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Bed?. School Library Journal, 51, 3. p.186(2).
Audience: Baby-Preschool
Brief Description: Cornelius P. Mud needs to get ready for bed, but are his belongings really put away?
I enjoyed this story, but the illustrations were the best part. The colors are so bright and the words on the page are large enough to assist young readers. The pictures are really fun and humorous and I bet children can identify with Cornelius, who in the end is very sweet. This book was humorous and intrigued me about additional books by the same other. The School Library Journal says “it is the art that tells the whole story. Through Saltzberg's acrylic-and-pencil illustrations, readers see that while the young pig did put his toys away, he put them in the refrigerator,” and that “ This book is sure to generate laughs from children and adults alike.” Booklist says “The oversize pictures offer plenty of space for humor, and Saltzberg employs comedy to full advantage […] Set against fruity background colors (lime, cantaloupe, tangerine), the simply drawn pigs play out their respective roles.”
Sources:
Cooper, I. (2005). Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Bed? (Book). Booklist, 101(17), p1593-1593.
Unger, K. R. (2005). Saltzberg, Barney. Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Bed?. School Library Journal, 51, 3. p.186(2).
March 15, 2010
I'm torn by this book. I give it 4 stars because my 18-mo-old child loved it and asked us to read it to him sometimes more than once a day. It had perfect picture to text ratio, the pictures were cute and had lots of fun details, but this is really a book that makes light of being naughty. I'm sure my son is too young to understand that about this book, but later, I'm not sure if it could teach kids about telling partial lies/truths and taking advantage of vague questions. For example: the mom asks the boy, "did you put all your toys away?", and he says "yes", but in the illustration he put all his toys in the fridge, instead of where they're supposed to go. He feeds his fish like he is supposed to, but he doesn't feed them fish food, he feeds them cookies, etc. Probably I'm over thinking this, but I'm still just learning about what will influence different kids in different ways. Probably if your child is old enough, they'll recognize that this is meant to be silly and they won't try to apply any of the techniques to their own behaviors :)
November 25, 2019
The pictures for this book tell a funny story. There isn't a lot of text, it's all about the pictures.
February 5, 2022
Cute book for bedtime.
March 17, 2017
A very silly book that would be a lot of fun to read with a 3-year-old
June 2, 2017
Had a great time reading this aloud. Gave plenty of opportunities for audience engagement. I had to laugh at myself, because it wasn't until I started reading this to a storytime group that I realized that Cornelius P. Mud is doing all the bedtime things... but in a really silly way. So the kids pointed out the first one, and then we had great fun finding all the rest of the silly things together.
October 15, 2016
Very silly story for bedtime!
February 18, 2020
A tricky little pig answers all the bedtime questions with YES. But his idea of compliance is not what Mother expects. a very tricky little pig, indeed. He finally gets in bed, but a final picture of Mother finding at least one of the little tricks would have been fun. This woman has her work cut out for her raising this little one.
November 5, 2018
Questions and responses step us through a bedtime routine (and humorous illustrations show that Cornelius isn't taking all those steps very seriously).
Things are almost done, but one thing's missing before bedtime.
Things are almost done, but one thing's missing before bedtime.
February 13, 2019
Fantastic, bright illustrations and simple text make this a great read aloud for the pre-K crowd. It's silly and fun and there are plenty of opportunities to engagement (make sure you look at the pictures!). Definitely great for story time!
May 11, 2019
Simple. Would work for storytime.
June 19, 2019
This is a cute book!
July 26, 2019
Quick. Simple. Colorful.
November 28, 2021
Very cute. Corny really likes to make a mess. He gets the job done but finds the most ridiculous way.
Read
June 17, 2022the funny story of a pig who is getting ready for bed...or maybe not. The pictures say it all.
March 9, 2024
Cute bedtime book that has simple text and colorful illustrations. Good for toddlers (2-3 y/0).
September 9, 2016
A pig gets ready for bed. After doing all that pigs should do before going to bed, Cornelius still doesn't want to. Why not?
Text is big and easy to read.
Text is big and easy to read.
March 28, 2015
If there are two performers one says “I’ll be the mom” and the other says “I’ll be Cornelius”. If there is only one performer invite the children to give Cornelius’s responses. This is very easy because he says “Yes!” on most of the pages, “No!” on one page, and “A hug!” on one page. Point to the word and ask “what did Cornelius say?”. The children guess right every time and it gives them the sensation of reading.
This is a perfect book to read aloud with toddlers and pre-schoolers. Every page poses a question from mom. Invite the child to "read" Cornelius's one-word reply. This gives the child the sensation of reading and the opportunity to be right every time.
This is a perfect book to read aloud with toddlers and pre-schoolers. Every page poses a question from mom. Invite the child to "read" Cornelius's one-word reply. This gives the child the sensation of reading and the opportunity to be right every time.
May 14, 2008
Summary of Book:
Cornelius P. Mud seems to be ready for bed. He has brushed his teeth, gone to the bathroom, and put away all of his toys. But, maybe all is not as it seems. If you want to find out what Cornelius might have yet to do before going to bed, this is a great read, so find out!
Recommended uses for this book:
This book works very well in toddler storytimes about bed time. It has big words on the page Yes and No, and the children can get invovled and understand the humor on the pages. Preschoolers would also enjoy the sillyness in this book.
Cornelius P. Mud seems to be ready for bed. He has brushed his teeth, gone to the bathroom, and put away all of his toys. But, maybe all is not as it seems. If you want to find out what Cornelius might have yet to do before going to bed, this is a great read, so find out!
Recommended uses for this book:
This book works very well in toddler storytimes about bed time. It has big words on the page Yes and No, and the children can get invovled and understand the humor on the pages. Preschoolers would also enjoy the sillyness in this book.
January 20, 2015
The main joke of this book is all based on deceit. Cornelius's mother asks him to do various tasks to get ready for bed and he tells her he's done them when really he hasn't. I mean, he's done something which allows him to answer her questions in a way that makes her believe he's following directions, but in reality he's just causing more mischief. And mom never notices, so there are no consequences. It's going back to the library immediately.
August 7, 2011
Adorable Cornelius is asked if he has completed his pre-bed tasks and says "yes"...which may mean that his toys have been put away (in the fridge!) and that he has chosen a book (a whole stack of them!). A hug and goodnight and he's ready to sleep. Children will enjoy the humor and simplicity as well as the illustrations, which are amusingly sweet.
April 29, 2015
I picked this book for my Toddler Bedtime storytime. Cornelius P. Mud is a little pig who does not want to go to bed. He'd rather be silly and do things like put his toys away (in the fridge) or brush his teeth with a giant brush. Eventually he gets a pile of books for his mother to read and a hug from her and goes to sleep. This was a very cute story. I look forward to reading it to my son.
August 16, 2010
Another bedtime book I might have to purchase. Cornelius is so cute and naughty! And the big hug at the end elicits sweet squeals from my 15 month old every time. I have read this one aloud in storytimes, too, and it always kept the little guys laughing and engaged.
December 4, 2010
This is by far my two year old's favorite book :) He loves reading it along with me (well, ok, so he get the easy parts like "yes", "no", "fish", "cookies", "hug" and "good night", but still), and he brings it to me several times a day for me to read it.
April 9, 2011
A play on 'Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for School?' Cornelius does everything his mother asks him to do to get ready for bed (in his own clever way of course). But is he ready for bed? Not without that big hug from mom, first! Children will love the artwork in this series!
November 18, 2019
Age: 2 years - 4 years
Although Cornelius P. Mud has good intentions to get ready for bed, he might not perfectly follow directions.The vibrant large pictures are great for younger ages and the kids can join in the repetition of "YES!"
Although Cornelius P. Mud has good intentions to get ready for bed, he might not perfectly follow directions.The vibrant large pictures are great for younger ages and the kids can join in the repetition of "YES!"
November 30, 2012
I read this in both my toddler and preschool story times and it went over well in both. The illustrations are a whole bunch of fun and the kids enjoyed looking at them and picking out all of the silliness therein.
April 18, 2014
A fun bedtime book about getting ready for bed, great for beginning readers. A story so silly that it will have you and your child laughing out loud as Cornelius gets ready for bed, answering his mother's questions with single word answers.
December 10, 2016
FANTASTIC BOOK for introducing the concept of reading print to pre-readers!
There's a "YES!" response on almost every page, and a "NO!" response on one page. Even 2 or 3 year olds can learn to recognize those words and help "read" the book.
There's a "YES!" response on almost every page, and a "NO!" response on one page. Even 2 or 3 year olds can learn to recognize those words and help "read" the book.
August 29, 2008
Dear Barney, great work. The book enouraged a young reader to express herself, as though the narrarator was speaking to her as well as Cornelius.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews