After the Bath Comes...: On My Way to Bed by Sarah Maizes

"I AM NOT READY FOR BED.

BED IS FOR TIRED PEOPLE. I AM NOT A TIRED PERSON.

I STILL HAVE ENERGY."

Livi, the Princess of Procrastination, Milady of Dillydally, the Diva of Dawdle, is back, her fertile fancy unquenched by her debut dunking in the nightly bath, again confronts the irresistible force....

"BEDTIME, LIVI!"

Livi is hula hooping in the living room when the call comes from Mom. But Livi finds ways to make her progress toward bedtime a non-stop adventure.

"I AM IN A CIRCUS--TEETERING ON THE HIGH WIRE.  THE CROWD HOLDS ITS BREATH...."

Livi is a rolling stone of inspiration, but Mom is a rock of resolve.

Livi tries more fantasy inventions on her way to brush her teeth: she is a dentist checking her little brother's stuffed animals for cavities. On her way she snatches up a dropped towel for a cape and becomes a famous magician, until through her door she spots her sister's space project in progress, whereupon she becomes an astronaut piloting her spaceship. Livi daydreams her way slowly down the hall, while Mom waxes adamant:

"IN BED...  NOW!" 

Even in bed, Livi's ingenuity doesn't lag.

"WATER! IT'S A DESERT IN HERE!"

And when at last all the bedtime stalls are exhausted and she's snuggled down, warm and cozy, Livi's imagination doesn't fail her as she slips into her cave and begins her hibernation.

"I'M A BEAR...."

Sleep time is ever scintillating with Livi along, in Sarah Maizes' further adventures in bedtime avoidance, On My Way to Bed (Walker, 2013).  Although it may delay lights out a bit, you have to pair this one with author Maizes' first book, On My Way to the Bath (see my 2012 review here). Illustrator Michael Paraskevas' hilarious and detailed illustrations of Livi's flights of fancy are a good way to sneak up on bedtime for parent and child.  As Kirkus says, "It's hard to resist her final wail--"I don't want to miss anything!"--which reveals what's really been going on here. Livi's imaginative play takes the experience to an entirely superior level."