On my way to bed by Sarah Maizes

Ill. by Michael Paraskevas. Bloomsbury, 2014. ISBN 9780802723666.
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Picture book, Bed time. A companion volume to On my way to the bath (2013) this very funny tale has Livi being exhorted to go to bed by her long suffering mother. The voice outside the pages of the book gives the instructions, Bedtime!, then the cajoling 'Come on Livi, time for bed', to the instructive, 'Don't forget to brush your teeth', then the reminder about school tomorrow and so on, until Mum comes in to find another layer of excuses, a story to read, a glass of water, the door left open.
Children will laugh out loud recognising the age old excuses given not to go to bed just yet, and Mum's recurring instructions about what to do.
The illustrations again give another story, as Livi's imagination goes into overdrive as she plays with things in her room, rather than go to bed. The expressions on the toy's faces are priceless, and the little snippets of detail make this a fascinating book to peruse the illustrations over again. The detail of the bed lamp, the recurring frog, the line up of toys on her bed and so on, all add a delicious layer of interest to the reader.
There are a several books about going to bed, and the routine of sleeping. This book underlines the things which must be done before going to bed, the interaction of mother and daughter, the repetition of things done before retiring that all give a clear image of routine and its importance in a child's life.
Fran Knight