How to Put Your Parents to Bed

PreS-Gr 2—First-time author Larsen teams up with the brilliant Cole to produce this original twist on a bedtime story sure to entertain. By addressing the audience directly, the author quickly captures interest, and the close-up of the protagonist's parents seriously "not looking their best" drives home the need for her to put them to bed. What follows is a madcap description of her valiant efforts to put her meandering and demanding parents through their nighttime routine. Both parents and children will delight in seeing their traditional bedtime roles reversed, as teeth are brushed, pajamas put on, distractions put aside, stories read, and upsets calmly handled before goodnight kisses are given and dreams arrive. These expressive characters exhibit incredible movement on each page, such as when the young girl starts tapping her slippered foot as her father reaches to pull his sock off because it itches and her mother begins to shake a pillow. Cole's pen-and-ink lines add motion and, when combined with the rich oils, acrylics, and watercolors, generate stunning and exceptional art that adds depth and comedy to the text. The parents' slightly pudgy bodies and too small clothing, in juxtaposition to the size of their daughter, highlight the ridiculousness of this scenario.