My Big, New Bed. (Tadpoles). Margaret Nash. Illustrated by Beccy Blake. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2008. 24 pp., pbk. & hc., $7.95 (pbk.), $18.36 (RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-3890-9 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-3859-6 (RLB). Subject Heading: Readers-Beds. Kindergarten-grade 2 / Ages 5-7. Review by Renée Englot. ** /4

excerpt:

Dad bought a new bed for me and Ted.

"Let's see how many fit on," I said.

When a young boy gets a new bed, he and his brother and sister and the family pets all pile on. When the bed begins to creak, the boy decides that the bed will be just for him and his teddy bear. The book is not about the move from a crib or toddler bed to a 'big kid' bed. The main character is about the same age as the intended readers.

     My Big, New Bed is part of Crabtree's "Tadpoles" series. This series is aimed at beginning readers. The illustrations offer visual clues to the text, and the text makes use of high frequency words and phrases. The stories are very brief, approximately ten sentences each. The use of rhyme in this particular story also helps to ensure a successful experience for beginning readers.

      Blake's illustrations are bright and colourful. There is plenty of detail, and children will want to spend time looking at the pictures. The monsters on the footboard of the bed are especially fun. There are also little critters hiding in the illustrations. Look for a mouse and a spider on most of the two page spreads. It's unfortunate the illustrator didn't carry this through onto each spread.

      A nice added feature is the comments from the author and illustrator. Instead of traditional 'about the author' paragraphs, there are comments from the author and illustrator about their own or their children's own beds.

      In the end material, there are suggestions for parents on how to make the most of reading time together. While there's nothing fabulous to recommend My Big, New Bed, it's an adequate home reading type book.

Recommended.

Renée Englot is a former junior high school teacher now working as a professional storyteller in school settings. She holds a Master of Arts in Children's Literature.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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