Grab your hot cocoa and your cozy blanket and find a comfy seat on the couch!
It’s time for Perfect Picture Book Friday! 😊
Before I show you my book for today, I want to announce the winner of Karen Latchana Kenney’s Tuesday Debut Giveaway from last week (because we didn’t have a debut this week for me to announce it on!)
Karen kindly offered a signed copy of her beautiful book, SNOW STEPS, and some swag!!! and the winner is. . . .
SHUBA MOHAN!!!
Congrats, Shuba! Please email me so I can get your book to you! And thanks to you and everyone else for stopping by to read about Karen’s debut and taking the time to leave comments for her. It is so appreciated!
Now then!
On to today’s Perfect Picture Book!
As you all probably know, I love a good bedtime book (Can’t Sleep Without Sheep, When Your Monkeys Won’t Go To Bed, and Alphabedtime are a clue 😊), and this is good bedtime book!
Get ready for some fun!
Title: The Bunnies Are Not In Their Beds
Written & Illustrated By: Marisabina Russo
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade, January 23, 2007, fiction
Suitable For Ages: 1-3
Themes/Topics: bedtime, humor, family
text and illustration copyright Marisabina Russo 2007, Schwartz&Wade Books
Opening:
“Nighttime is here.
LIttle bunnies are tucked in bed.
Good night, good night, sleep tight.”
text and illustration copyright Marisabina Russo 2007, Schwartz&Wade Books
Brief Synopsis: It is nighttime, and the bunnies are in their bed. Time for peace and quiet, right? But what’s that noise? Apparently, the little bunnies are NOT in their bed. Hilarity ensues as the bunnies get more and more playful and mom and dad get more and more tired. Will those bunnies EVER go to sleep?
text and illustration copyright Marisabina Russo 2007, Schwartz&Wade Books
Links To Resources: make bedtime fun! Play in the bathtub, let kids pick out their PJs, make toothbrushing time a party by having the whole family do it together, do a puzzle together, ask your child to tell you what their favorite part of the day was, read 1-5 books (depending on your stamina 😊). A routine at bedtime helps kids settle down because they know what to expect.
text and illustration copyright Marisabina Russo 2007, Schwartz&Wade Books
Why I Like This Book: I love everything about this book, as did my 2 1/2 year old test audience, who demanded it be read and re-read MANY times! 😊 The story is playful for kids, and the evening’s activity all too familiar and believable for adults. The art is engaging and delightful, and the bunnies are so cute! The peaceful rhythm of the bunnies being tucked in their beds, which recurs every couple pages, is interrupted by a cumulative storyline, largely shown in the art, where the bunnies get more and more involved in increasingly elaborate games. At last, the tables turn, and the quiet bunnies sneak in to see their parents asleep so that, yippee!, they can stay up and play all night? But do they? Kids and adults alike will be charmed by this wonderful story. Highly recommended!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 😊
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out 😊) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 😊
Susanna Leonard Hill 
Susanna, I love the illustrations – such adorable bunnies. What a great bedtime book. Can’t wait to see if the little bunnies manage to stay up all night or maybe where they end up crashing. Thanks for featuring this book!
How adorable and so relatable! I can see my granddaughter requesting this one again and again, and who doesn’t love fluffy bunnies?!
Bedtime routines and bedtime books are the best, and this looks like a perfect choice!
Finally – something new and fun for bedtime!
I remember my daughter’s imagination taking hold at bedtime and how all of her creative thinking kept us all up late, late, late. I’ll be adding this book to my reading list. Thank you for this wonderful picture book review.
Oh, that was absolutely my son, Leslie!! 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the review – it’s such a fun book!
I’m quite sure I’ve read this one before so thanks for the reminder to check it out again!
I’m sure you have, Jules – it’s not a new book 🙂 But it sure is a fun one!
My grandchildren would love this book! I’ll look for it. What a fun way to make bedtime a fun experience instead of a time that everyone dreads!
I have it in board book version for my granddaughter, Lori 🙂
Hmm. I’m logged in, but just got the message I have to be logged in to comment. Sigh. Maybe second time will work?
This book is so adorable! I love it!
Your comment seems to have shown up okay, Angie, so I guess you were properly logged in. Isn’t this book just great?! 🙂
Yes!! Love it!
Thank you for the lovely win of Snow Steps from  Karen Latchana Kenney’s Tuesday Debut Giveaway. Bed time stories are so fun, especially when they are short and sweet.
Yay! Your test audience enjoyed this book! Why am I not surprised? It sounds delightful!
This sounds perfect for my own little bunny who doesn’t want to stay in bed! Looks adorable 🥰
What is it with all these bunnies and their constant attempts to escape bedtime? 🙂 🙂 🙂
This truly sounds like a gem of a bedtime story! I love going back and finding stories that were published earlier. 😊
I was captivated starting with the title! The story was eerily familiar with the bunnies giving me flashbacks of raising my three boys. Lots of unexpected happenings but always fun! Thank you for your review, Susanna, and letting me drift back to a wonderful time in my life!
I’m so glad it gave you a happy moment, Katie! Getting our bunnies to bed can be a challenge, but it’s all part of the joy of childhood. Before you know it, they’re all grown up and tucking in their own bunnies!