Time for Bed, Old House
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2.0 • 1 Rating
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
At Isaac’s first sleepover, he gets to help Grandpop with a very special routine—putting the house to bed—in a story that’s just right for children visiting a new place, or for adopting a new ritual at home. Isaac is excited about having a sleepover at Grandpop’s house, but he’s a little nervous about being away from home for the first time. Luckily, his knowing Grandpop tells him it’s not quite time to go to bed yet—first, he needs Isaac’s help in putting the house to bed. Quietly and slowly, they move from room to room, turning out lights and pulling down shades, as Grandpop gently explains the nighttime sounds that Isaac finds unfamiliar. Now it’s time to read the house a bedtime story (Isaac is good at reading the pictures). By the time the house is settled in for the night, Isaac and Grandpop are ready for bed, too. Janet Costa Bates’s tender story and A. G. Ford’s cozy illustrations will have families—and extended families or friends—eager to take a wise Grandpop’s cue and embrace a new nighttime tradition.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bates delivers a heartfelt, affirming multigenerational narrative centering Isaac, a Black boy nervous for "his first sleepover at Grandpop's house." As the duo's board game winds down, Isaac protests that he's not tired. " ‘Then stay awake,' Grandpop said. ‘But it's time to put the house to bed,' " thus beginning a tender journey that assuages Isaac's worries about the old house's clicks, squeaks, and creaks. As Snuffles, Grandpop's old Airedale, follows, grandfather and grandson prepare the home for bedtime, from closing its blinds to reading it a bedtime story. Warm, atmospheric watercolor illustrations by Ford present a rich variety of angles and finely rendered detail, such as the bedtime story's cover of Ezra Jack Keats's The Snowy Day. This touching, expertly paced bedtime tale will resonate with anyone who's had a sleepover or experienced fright in a new place, and serves as a soothing testament to a compassionate grandparent-grandchild relationship. Ages 3–7.
