Time For Bed They Said: A Bedtime Lullaby

And who are the “they” who are telling the young boy that it’s time to head to bed? Well, it’s usually Mom or Dad, but this time, it’s a lobster, a dragon, a digger (i.e. excavator), a brown bear and a Martian. And, as exemplified in the above excerpt, each one offers enticing prompts as to what the boy might dream about once he’s asleep. Given that the publisher is located in the Maritimes, it’s appropriate that the ocean be the first potential dream setting. The other four settings range from the fanciful historical period of dragon-fighting knights to the futuristic setting of space and interacting with an extraterrestrial. A dream setting could be in a bear’s rural forest or an under-construction urban area. Sold on the dream possibilities, it’s the young boy who, in the final verse, acknowledges that “It’s time for bed....”

Each of Norman’s four-line verses is accompanied by one of Hersey’s watercolour spreads which is replete with details that can be explored during subsequent readings and which offer opportunities for adult readers to create some reading games on the spot. For example, the spread connected to the lobster could be turned into a counting game (How many sea gulls can you count?), an eye-spy game (Can you find the sea horse?) or a colour review (What colour is the octopus?). And, at the same time as these games are being played, young listeners are adding to their vocabulary banks.

For those who like to sing their lullabies, the musical notation for Time for Bed They Said” is provided on the board book’s last spread along with the lullaby’s six verses which, for some unknown reason, depart from the verse order presented in the spreads.

The details in Hersey’s final spread that reveals the boy asleep in his bed include objects that had appeared somewhere in the previous five spreads, and, while it might be tempting to ask the young listener to identify them and to connect them to the appropriate spread, remember the book’s lullaby purpose. Save this activity for an awake time.

Time For Bed They Said: A Bedtime Lullaby is a worthy home purchase and is recommended as well as an addition to the board book collections of institutions serving this age group.