Review - Bedtime

Bedtime
by Guido Van Genechten
Date: 2019
Publisher: Clavis
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 20
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

A bedtime story from bestselling children's author-illustrator Guido Van Genechten!

Everyone has a bedtime routine.

Penguin wants to play in the snow.

Little Turtle has to use the potty.

What does Victor want to do before bed?

What do you want to do?

A cheerful and colorful go-to-bed book.
For little snorers ages 24 months and up,
with the daily life of the child as the theme.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I guess I was expecting more from this. Yes, kids have bedtime routines (and so do adults) but I doubt most of them involve intense physical activity. How are you supposed to get kids to sleep if you've just had them getting all worked up? The animals in this book engage in stretching, playing in the snow, swimming laps, and doing cartwheels before going to sleep. Maybe they're supposed to represent what the child wants to do before bed. (Or maybe I'm just reading too much into it.) The only reasonable bedtime routine comes from Little Turtle, who needs to use the potty. Bee's bedtime routine consists of buzzing (I don't get it), and the mice seem to only be there to tell everyone to be quiet.

The pictures are okay, but nothing special. The story could've been a lot better.

This one was a bit of a disappointment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clavis for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 2/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 1/5

Overall: 2.17 out of 5