The Family Bookshelf
By Bob Walch
"Topsy-Turvy Bedtime"
(Candlewick Press.) by Joan Levine
The Audience: Aimed at children ages 4-7, this story raises the whole issue of what it is like to be a parent. This picture book is appropriate for bedtime reading and works well with beginning readers. (32 pages)
The Issue: Getting children to accept the fact that it is time to go to bed without a hassle.
The Content: Arathusela does not like to go to bed. One night she has an idea. "Why don't you let me put you to sleep for a change?" she asks her parents. After her mom and dad agree, the fun begins. First, they beg to stay up because they are right in the middle of their favorite TV show. Then there's a discussion about what book to read and, of course, about bedtime snacks.
By the time she gets her parents tucked in for the night, Arathusela is exhausted and is, as she explains, "On the brink!" Then she gets one final request from her parents' room - "Please leave the door open!"
The Message: The switch in roles here is a very good idea and hopefully it will make the youngster who balks at bedtime consider what it must be like for Mom and Dad to go through the ordeal every evening.
On the other hand, it may take a fairly sophisticated preschooler to really appreciate the scenario the author has created. It is certainly worth a try, though.
Before retiring from the classroom, Bob Walch taught English in Santa Barbara and Carmel for 39 years. His reviews of children's literature appear in Central Coast newspapers and online at the Reading Tub, Roundtable Reviews and My Shelf.
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