Bedtime Story: Time for Bed, Old House by Janet Costa Bates

ISAAC LOVED THE NEW PAJAMAS HE GOT FOR HIS FIRST SLEEPOVER AT GRANDPOP'S HOUSE.

He loved playing blocks and board games on the floor with Grandpop. But he wasn't sure he loved the idea of spending the night at Grandpop's house.

"I'M NOT SLEEPY,"HE SAID.

So Grandpop suggests that he help put the old house to bed. They have to be very quiet and walk softly. They turn off the light switches and lamps as they go, when Isaac hears a weird sniffing sound. But it's only Grandpop's old shaggy dog, Snuffles, ready to go to bed, too.

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!"

"WHAT'S THAT?"

It is a scary noise, but Grandpop has Isaac look outside a window to see the old swings in the yard, blowing in the wind. Then it's time to pull down the shades.

"LOOKS LIKE THE HOUSE IS CLOSING ITS EYES TO SLEEP," SAID GRANDPOP.

The two make their way upstairs to Mom's old bedroom. Grandpop hands Isaac a book to read for a bedtime story. Isaac protests that he can't read yet.

"YOU CAN READ THE PICTURES!" SUGGESTS GRANDPOP.

Snuffles settles down, and Isaac climbs in his grandfather's lap and begins to read the pictures on each page. And when he finishes the book, Isaac finds that he's read his Grandpop to sleep. He covers his grandfather with the throw. He pulls down the window shade in Mom's old room. He reads the pictures in another book to himself, turns off the lamp, and pats Snuffles on his head. The old house is asleep, and soon Sniffles and Isaac are, too. No one is awake to hear the snores of all three of them.

It's bedtime and all is well, in Janet Costa Bates' brand-new bedtime book, Time for Bed, Old House (Candlewick Press, 2021).

In this easy-going account of a childhood milestone, it is the child himself who, after some clever priming by Grandpop, takes charge of his own first sleepaway night. Noted artist AG Ford's warm and homey illustrations make the best of this endearing story of grandparent and child. Says School Library Journal, "The rituals of bedtime, as encompassing and timeless as the bonds between generations, elevate a simple tale and make it an essential purchase for every collection."