B Is for Bedtime

PreS—Hamilton and Pignataro team up to create an alphabet book about a child getting ready for bed. It begins, "A is Awake,/how I feel after dinner./B for the Book with/my dad. It's a winner" and ends with "Y is for Yawn, and /I'm ready for sleep./All hushed until morning./You won't hear a peep./Z…z…z…z…." In between, the young protagonist experiences the usual bedtime rituals, like a "Hug" from "Gran," a "Kiss" goodnight from mom. This bedtime alphabet book features pleasant rhymes and gentle mixed-media illustrations. While "X," rather weakly, resorts to "relaX" as the representative word, the majority of the word choices fit well with the theme and the flow of Hamilton's tender narrative. Pignataro's pictures add charm to the story, particularly the adorable pet dog who helps to depict additional, miniature representations of each letter, such as sniffing an orange for "O" and riding a toy train for "T." The letters, likewise, are designed with playful patterns and soft colors.