It Is Not Time for Sleeping

The perennial parent vs. preschooler duel over bedtime is told from the child narrator's perspective: "'It's been a good day,' [Mom] says. 'It is a good day,' I tell her. Because the day's not finished yet." The watercolor and ink pictures portray a child with tousled dark hair, gender-neutral clothing, and warm golden skin, leaving it open to the picture-book viewers to determine gender and ethnicity, if they so choose. Warm yellow backgrounds and firm dark outlines reinforce the feeling of security: this is a very loving home, where child and parents follow nightly routines, from washing dishes together to brushing teeth (while being held upside-down by Daddy). It's a cumulative tale, so each step is repeated before the next with a soothing effect. At each turn, the child repeats, "It is not time for sleeping," but textual cues ("I blink my heavy eyes") and the gradually darkening palette will persuade listening children that bedtime is definitely getting closer. The way the parents continue to carry out the nighttime rituals all the way through to a final hug and a "we love you" is respectful of the child's independence, while encouraging kids at home to settle in and allow themselves to fall asleep, too. susan dove lempke

A parent vs. preschooler bedtime duel told from a gender and ethnicity–neutral child narrator's perspective. The watercolor and ink pictures include warm yellow backgrounds and firm dark outlines, reinforcing the feeling of security. Throughout this cumulative tale, the child repeats, "It is not time for sleeping," but textual cues and the gradually darkening palette will persuade listening children that bedtime is getting closer.