It Is Not Time for Sleeping

Starred review from September 12, 2016
Graff’s bedtime story is told by a boy who has just finished dinner. His mother sits at his right, his father to his left, and the family dog looks up at him hopefully. He knows what’s coming next, and it’s not bed. “It is not time for sleeping,” he informs readers. Comforting bedtime rituals accumulate, “House That Jack Built” style (“When dinner is over and the dishes are scrubbed and I’m squeaky-squeak clean and zipped up to my chin”), but the boy continues to defer thoughts of sleep. Castillo (Nana in the City) conjures security with her trademark warm colors and solid black contours; the light from the hall illuminates Dad’s rocking chair as he reads to the boy in bed. “That was a nice one,” Dad says about the story. “Mmm,” the boy says sleepily. In her first picture book, Graff (Lost in the Sun) rebalances the traditional bedtime dynamic ever so slightly, portraying parents who never need to resort to authority, instead letting the reliable routines of day’s end work their magic. Ages 4–7. Author: Stephen Barbara, Inkwell Management. Illustrator’s agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management.

Cumulative text builds up to a sweet goodnight in this bedtime book.Although the first-person text doesn't specify race, ethnicity, or gender, the illustrations depict a light-skinned family composed of Mom, Dad, and their narrator child, all three with dark hair and eyes (though Dad's complexion is a bit darker than the others'). A little dog named Jasper appears as well as the story begins with the family around the table anticipating day's end. The family's routine--washing dinner dishes, bathtime, pajamas, tooth-brushing, bedtime reading, and, finally, hugs good night--builds in the text to create a sense of stability and comfort, each iteration adding one element to the preceding list and closing with the titular refrain until the very end. Clearly this child is well-loved and cared for, knowing what to expect as one part of the routine gives way to another. Castillo's watercolor-and-ink illustrations augment the text's comfortable feeling, her trademark thick, smudgy outlines visually hugging each character. The pictures look downright magical at book's end when luminous wallpaper--a rich blue with golden stars and crescent moons--fills up the background of cozy closing images, creating interior starry splendor. A very good goodnight book. (Picture book. 3-5) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2016

PreS-Bedtime routines are a staple in most young children's lives and can be a source of comfort as well as conflict. This charming and endearing picture book centers on one little boy who is very conscious that every task he completes brings him closer to bedtime. When he is taking his bath and is told to get out soon, he stalls for more time because "it is not time for sleeping." When his parents remark that he looks cozy after putting on his pajamas he responds, "Not too cozy," because, after all, it is not time for sleeping. Readers follow the child and his ever-faithful dog through each bedtime task, all of which end in the now-familiar refrain. With excellent use of shading and shadows, the artwork shows the darkening sky through the windows, and a cozy atmosphere permeates the pages. Ultimately, the boy can't fight his fatigue any longer, and after a hug from his parents, he declares that it is indeed now time for sleeping. Castillo's evocative illustrations are warm and comforting and set exactly the right tone. Best known for her middle grade novels, Graff proves that she can deliver the goods to picture book audiences. VERDICT An excellent candidate for bedtime sharing or to put together with Jane Yolen's How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight and Greg Pizzoli's Good Night Owl for a sleepy storytime theme.-Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, MI

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2016
Preschool-G Any child alerted of bedtime has one stubborn thought in his or her head: It is not time for sleeping. Graff's young protagonist has the same problem. When Dad says, it's getting dark, the boy retorts, It could be darker. Graff's rhythmic, cumulative prose takes each nighttime routine to build on the previous completed task. When dinner is over and the dishes are scrubbed and I'm squeaky-squeak clean and zipped up to my chin and my teeth are shiny and I've said good night to Jasper . . . I climb into bed. Castillo, a Caldecott Honor winner for Nana in the City (2014), displays her trademark black outlines and dense color to bring her ink-and-watercolor artwork to life, creating a realistic snapshot of trying to get a reluctant child to bed via a carrot dropped to the floor next to the dinner table, a pile of clothes next to the tub, coaxing parents whose eyes look both weary and loving, and so on. Graff and Castillo beautifully capture the customary rituals (and challenges) of bedtime.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)