Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Ten Minutes Till Bedtime


My thirteen year old still remembers all the words from this
picture book (there aren’t that many). 
But it is the pictures that stay with me.
The hamsters’ tour of a little boy’s bedtime infuses his
nightly routine with magic and mirth.
No one does bedtime like Peggy Rathman 
(see Goodnight Gorilla)
and while all the hamsters qualify as adorable,
the hamster family with the numbered shirts
let you and your child play a much more 
satisfactory game than Where's Waldo.
One is a photographer, one a daredevil,
one a mimic, one a .  .  . well you get the
idea. Each hamster has its own personality
seen in every picture spread all the way to
the immensely satisfying end of the bedtime
tour.
For those children who want more hamster bedtime
fun, Peggy Rathman even offers a a hamstertour website 
with coloring pages, little animations, and activities (I
could not get the little games to play, but my computer
is often persnickety).
Despite the hamster element, the pictures are realistic 
enough to serve as a social story about your child's 
bedtime routine. 
Even if it doesn't help you get your child to brush teeth,
bathe, put on pajamas and hop into bed on time, the
two of you will enjoy the tour.



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