Bedtime for Sweet Creatures - by Nikki Grimes (Hardcover)

About the Book

A beloved and very sleepy little boy resists his mother's efforts to put him to bed.

Book Synopsis

Barnes & Noble Best Book of the Year

Kirkus Best Book of the Year

Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

4 STARRED REVIEWS

Nikki Grimes, Coretta Scott King Award winning author, and acclaimed illustrator Elizabeth Zunon's latest children's masterpiece creates an imagination-fueled and animal-filled journey to bedtime.

"Has the feel of an all-time great bedtime picture book" -- The New York Times

It's bedtime. But Mommy's little one is not sleepy.

He growls like a bear, he questions like an owl, he tosses his mane like a lion. He hunts for water like a sly wolf, and hides like a snake.

Mommy needs to wrangle her sweet creature in bed so that the whole family can sleep. From tigers to squirrels to snakes, the little boy dodges around his bedtime, until he is tired enough to finally sleep. His imaginative animal friends weave their way through the illustrations, eventually joining him in curling up for the night.

For those seeking children's books about diversity, this loving depiction of everyday shenanigans is sure to become a bedtime favorite. Bedtime for Sweet Creatures is an African American children's book that celebrates imagination, playful moments, and the love between a Black mother and child.

"The mother's loving understanding is demonstrated by how she works with her child's rich imagination, never slipping into admonishment. As such, children will engage with the pajama-clad tot's antics and be soothed by the book's positive tone. A fabulous interpretation of an everyday battle."--Booklist, STARRED review

Review Quotes

"vivid and appealing" -- The Wall Street Journal

"[A] rhythmic, playful romp through a restless child's bedtime routine... a loving, effective lullaby." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A patient mother with a healthy sense of whimsy helps prepare her headstrong toddler for bed... Zunon's art takes this book to the next level: Her portrayals of the animals mentioned in the text are colorful and full of intriguing patterns and shapes. An adventurous treat of a bedtime story." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"An adorable and imaginative bedtime story to add to collections for young children...children will engage with the pajama-clad tot's antics and be soothed by the book's positive tone. A fabulous interpretation of an everyday battle." -- Booklist (starred review)

"Exceptionally well-done... highly recommended." -- School Library Journal (starred review)

"Grimes and Zunon capture the time-for-bed dance with verve, imagination and empathy in this tale of a not-sleepy child and her creative appeals to stay up longer... On each lovely page, Zunon collages realistic images of the family alongside fanciful, mythical-looking animals. With its refreshing ending -- the girl ends up in her parents' bed, as so many children do -- this one has the feel of an all-time great bedtime picture book." -- The New York Times

"Lots of rich imagery plus brightly colored collage illustrations make this a wonderful choice to read to children at bedtime, rich with family, imagination, and love." -- Imagination Soup

"Lushly illustrated...A clever bedtime tale for stubborn, active twenty-first-century kids." -- Hornbook