Baby Bedtime is a 2013 children's picture book by Mem Fox and illustrated by Emma Quay. The book, published in America by Beach Lane Books, and published in Australia by Penguin Books Australia, is about an adult elephant getting her baby ready for bed.
 | |
| Author | Mem Fox |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Emma Quay |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's picture book |
| Published | 2013 (Penguin Books Australia) |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 32 (unpaginated) |
| ISBN | 9780670075195 |
| OCLC | 863243814 |
Publication history edit
- 2014, USA, Beach Lane Books ISBN 9781481420976
- There Comes A Time For Sleeping, 2013, England, Penguin Books ISBN 9780670075195
- 2013, Australia, Penguin Books Australia ISBN 9780670075195
Reception edit
Reviews of Baby Bedtime have been mixed. A Kirkus Reviews reviewer was especially concerned with the book's initial wording and wrote that "the cannibalistic opening quatrain followed by a gushingly affectionate outpouring makes for a book that only a certain type of grandparent could read aloud to a very young grandchild. Quay's striking illustrations cannot rescue this one".[1] Publishers Weekly wrote: "Here's a wonderful little lesson in the subjunctive from master teacher Fox (Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes). ... After a few pages of soft-crayoned textures, pastel hues, and arm's-length framing, a visual sameness sets in, though readers should find it soporific".[2]
There have also been Baby Bedtime reviews in Booklist,[3] School Library Journal,[4] The Horn Book Magazine,[5] The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books,[6] Reading Time,[7] Scan,[8] and Magpies.[9]
Awards edit
- 2015 CCBC Choices book[10]
- 2014 CBCA Book of the Year: Early Childhood shortlist[11]
- 2014 CBCA Picture Book of the Year notable book[12]
- 2014 Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards, Birth to three years shortlist[13]
- 2014 Western Australian Premier's Book Awards shortlist[14]
References edit
- ^ "Baby Bedtime". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Media LLC. 1 June 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
- ^ "Baby Bedtime". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz LLC. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
- ^ Kathleen McBroom (2014). "Baby Bedtime". Booklist. American Library Association. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
The repetitive, simple language creates a calm, soothing, lullabylike effect that is perfectly complemented by soft crayon-and-watercolor illustrations. ... This should resonate with babies, toddlers, and their designated adult readers, and when presented alongside other bedtime classics, it makes a great choice for parent-and-child story hours.
- ^ Marge Loch-Wouters (1 August 2014). "Baby Bedtime". School Library Journal. Media Source Inc. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
..beautifully designed book.. The elephants have an unfocused, sketchy look that pairs perfectly with twilight and dreams around the corner. This gentle lullaby in book form is perfect for sleepy toddlers and parents who will want to mimic the actions in the book.
- ^ Lambert, Megan Dowd (2014). "Baby Bedtime". Horn Book Guides. Media Source Inc. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
Mem Fox proves once again that she's a contemporary Mother Goose as she delivers seemingly effortless rhyming verse in her latest bedtime book. ... Quay's soft mixed-media art in pastel hues depicts the gentle, rounded forms of anthropomorphic parent-and-child elephants and exudes calming comfort.
- ^ Jeannette Hulick (October 2014). "Baby Bedtime by Mem Fox (review)". The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 68 (2). Johns Hopkins University Press: 101. doi:10.1353/bcc.2014.0829. S2CID 141868648. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
This would make a mellow closing title for a nighttime story hour or a pleasantly soporific bedtime read for families.
- ^ "Baby Bedtime". Reading Time. 57 (4). Children's Book Council of Australia: 30. November 2013. ISSN 0155-218X.
- ^ "Picture Books". Scan: The Journal for Educators. 33 (2). NSW Department of Education. 2014. ISSN 2202-4557.
- ^ "Before School". Magpies: Talking About Books For Children. Vol. 28, no. 5. Magpies Magazine. March 2016. ISSN 0817-0088.
- ^ Kathleen T. Horning; Merri V. Lindgren; Megan Schliesman; Emily McKnight Townsend (2015). "Picture Books for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschooler". CCBC Choices (PDF). Cooperative Children's Book Center. p. 53. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
- ^ "Children's book awards shortlist announced". cbca.org.au. Special Broadcasting Service. 4 August 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
- ^ "Notables 2014". cbca.org.au. Children's Book Council of Australia. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
- ^ "Speech Pathology Australia book awards 2014 shortlists announced". booksandpublishing.com.au. Books+Publishing. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
- ^ "WA prem's awards 2014 shortlists announced". booksandpublishing.com.au. Books+Publishing. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
