10 Minutes Till Bedtime

10 Minutes Till Bedtime

by Peggy Rathmann

The countdown to bedtime is about to begin when a family of hamsters arrives at the front door. "All aboard," shouts the child's pet hamster, and it's off to the kitchen for a snack, to the bathroom for toothbrushing, to the bedroom for a story. And just as the child starts to read, more hamsters stream through the front door and the escapades accelerate as the countdown continues.

Getting children to settle down for bed has long been a struggle for parents but this book may help ease the transition from play time to sleep time. For the past decade, kids have giggled about the silly shenanigans of a young boy and his pet hamster - along with all of the hamster's friends - as the boy gets ready for bed and his father counts down the minutes. Each page, filled with bright and colorful illustrations, depicts a different bedtime ritual, like brushing teeth or reading a story.

As the father counts down from 10 minutes to bedtime, children can begin to practice counting backwards too. With such elaborate drawings, kids may also enjoy telling their own stories about the hamsters and their silly bedtime adventures.

Thanks to the comical drawings, this book has been a favorite bedtime story of many of the children I babysit. They love to look at the pages and point out their favorite parts, like the baby hamster learning to use the potty seat or the hamsters brushing their teeth. I love the simplicity of the book. It allows the children to flex their creative muscles and create a story, which leads to a more interactive experience. You can even take turns telling the story on each page.

--Abby