Della Ross Ferreri's How Will I Ever Sleep In This Bed is a great bedtime story for your little one adjusting to their new 'big kid' bed. This is a medium-sized board book that your child can hold or help turn the pages while you're snuggled up for a bedtime story. Told through flowing rhyming couplets, the story follows a young boy as he prepares for a night alone in his new bed. The watercolor pictures are filled to the edges with primarily colors, shading, and fun details. The young boy faces his fears of sleeping alone in the bed by adding all of his stuffed animals until there's not even room left for him; "I love all of you, but I need room for me!" Your little one will recognize many of the stuffed animals, as there is a rabbit, skunk, fox, turtle, fish, frog, kangaroo, bear, tiger, hippo, cow, horse, and so many more!
This book is a great segue into speaking to your child about the big change - from crib to bed - that may be coming up. Like the young boy, they may want to check the closets first, and bring some of their furry friends along to snuggle with. In the end, the boy decides to make enough room for himself in bed by tucking all of his animals in on the floor next to him. He keeps just the stuffed lamb in bed. What animal would your little one decide to keep? They can choose one from the book, or one of their own. Your child may also enjoy the fun subtle details in the pages, such as the faces on the boy's bedposts, or how all of the stuffed animals close their eyes when it's finally bedtime.
I read this book to my friend, Scott, who sat quietly in my lap and soaked in each picture. We read this before a nap and Scott had his own teddy bear on his lap. On the last page, I pointed out, "See? He sucks his thumb too! And he's not a baby." Scott smiled; his older sister had teased him earlier for sucking his thumb and it had upset him. Scott has had this book read to him a few more times since then, and says he likes to look at all the animals.
--Audra
