Just Go to Bed (Little Critter) (Pictureback(R))

Looking back at this book, I can't help but juxtapose it with the book 'Go the Fuck To Sleep'. This book is from a child's perspective of not wanting to go to bed while the aforementioned 'Go the Fuck to Sleep' views the same problem from an adult perspective. This book really captures well the frustration a child has at having a bedtime/not wanting to go to sleep.

If you are a parent, you know that bed time struggles are a part of life; some kids have more and some kids have less, but no family is exempt. This is a great picture book for early readers that deals with that prickly subject, from the child's perspective, and with a good dose of humor. When night rolls around, Little Critter doesn't want to go to bed. At first, dad is sympathetic to all his sons roles, allowing him to squeeze more play time in to the wee hours of the day. For instance, when he is forced to take his last snack, Little Critter pretends to be a zookeeper, and when he has to take a bath, he becomes a vicious sea monster. Every new request is met by a new game. Dad plays along with these games, like becoming a giant robot show more to capture the enemy troops, but as the stalling drags the night out, his temper rises. This is told from Little Critter's perspective, though, and we only know how dad is feeling by the detailed illustrations that are a story in themselves. Finally, dad can only say "just go to bed!" Mom steps in to help, and they finally manage to corral their son in his room. After Little Critter has snuggled under the covers, giving in ungraciously, we see his parents looking on with love and weariness. What a great representation of life with a child! Mayer presents all the wonder and creativity of a child's world, but also doesn't shy away from the frustrations of parenting. In the end, he seems to suggest that the best way to handle these frustrations is with love and laughter. Considering the topic, this is a wonderful bed time story. show less

Little Critter: Just Go to Bed follows Little Critter and his bedtime struggles as he refuses to go to sleep. He plays cowboy, goes on a mission, flies to space, acts as a sea monster, and more, getting riled up before bed. The themes of this book touch on ideas, including imagination, child independence, and parenting. The author writes in first-person narration so we read through Little Critter’s perspective. It is a repetitive book, repeating the phrase “Just go to bed”, making it appealing to its younger audience. The illustrations, softly drawn lines, and light color palette create a cozy element to the book. Little Critter was one of my favorite series growing up.

This book is an excellent book to read to a child who has trouble going to bed or procrastinates going to sleep. Mercer mayers known critter is doing everything possible to keep from going to sleep. He pretends to be all types of things such as a cowboy, space cadet, and a sea monster to keep his dads attention of off making him going to sleep. After attempting to fight sleep he eventually gives up and goes to sleep! This is a cute story and easy for a child to relate to. I highly recommend this for a young reader, or even a child who can't read yet!

This is a sweet simple picture book that I have fond memories of from my early childhood. It carries a simple message that states that everybody needs to sleep even if they would rather stay up and play. I enjoy this book very much. One part of the book that I really appreciate is the simple story that is relatable to children. the story is about a boy who doesn't want to go to sleep and would rather continue to play with his toys. I feel that at some point every child would prefer to keep playing rather than go to bed. This allows the reader to really connect with the story because of the similarities the story shares with their own experiences. Another part that stands out about this book is the character design. The characters in show more this book and all other little critter books are a form of rodent or critter. While the story focuses on telling a realistic story the characters acting out the parts are animals. The animal-like character designs work well to tell the story while providing for intriguing illustrations that draw the reader in because the characters are animals acting like humans. Overall, this is a lovely story to read for bedtime or anytime. show less

One of my favorite Little Critter books.

And we have a lot of them :) They're short, they're funny, they're topical, and they're cheap.

Little Critter in this one keeps improving his nighttime routine by playing make-believe. And his dad, patient man, plays along with his make believe while moving Little Critter along to the next stage to sleep.

Eventually, it goes too far and his parents just put him in bed - but they still tuck him in nicely.

Very realistic, and very funny.

This story is a very good children's book. It is intended for bedtime, because the main character in the book is refusing to go to sleep. I liked the way that this book is illustrated, it brings forth the emotion of how the child in the book is resisting bedtime. I think it targets both the parents and the children in the book in a relatable experience.