Ten in the Bed

by Penny Dale

There were ten in the bed and the little one said "Roll over, roll over!" But who were the ten? And what happened to them all after they rolled out of bed? All is revealed in this bedtime tale featuring a small child and an assortment of soft toys.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Counting, Animals, Number, Storytime

24 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Penny Dale was born in Abbey Road near The Beatles' Studio, but grew up in Ottery St Mary. Her first school was so small that all the children were in one classroom, and even that wasn't full. She drew and made things all the time and her dad showed her how to use a hammer properly, something she's still proud of. She made plasticine models of everything she could think of. When Penny was very small, she found her parents' folios from a time when they both went to life drawing classes in London. She remembers being immensely impressed by their drawing, and even though she was very young, she knew she wanted to draw like that one day. At her junior school she was encouraged to draw pictures to complement written work, and this she loved, though this was not encouraged later on at secondary school, which she found disappointing. However, she still managed to illustrate work in some subjects, like Science (lively diagrams), Geography (coloured-in maps) and even made a lift-the-flap Norman Castle in History.

After secondary school, Penny took a Foundation Course at Bristol, then took a gap year to work with the Arts Workshop in Bath, making props and costumes, acting, and counting the takings on foreign tours. Later she did a Fine Art Degree at Exeter, where she met her husband Bryan. After college she began working for a time at the Northcott Theatre, designing and making costumes and props again, before she and her husband moved to Northumberland to work on renewable energy projects and graphic design. Their daughter Sarah was born in Hexham, and a friendship developed with an artist she met at childbirth classes, which led to shared daughter-minding, making time for painting, drawing and print making. A year later Penny moved down to South Wales, where Bryan took up a lecturing post in design. It was there that she started to write and illustrate children's books.


Today Penny is one of the UK's leading illustrators of children's books. Her books have met with great success: BET YOU CAN'T and ONCE THERE WERE GIANTS were included in the UK SATS booklist for many years. WAKE UP MR B! was commended for the Kate Greenaway Medal 1988. ROSIE'S BABIES (written by Martin Waddell) won the Best Book for Babies award and was also shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1990. NIGHT NIGHT CUDDLY BEAR (also written by Martin Waddell) and TEN IN THE BED both won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award in 2001 and 2002 respectively. JAMIE AND ANGUS (written by Anne Fine) won the BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Award in 2003. Penny has sold over three million books worldwide and has been published in over twenty languages. Her most recent work includes PRINCESS, PRINCESS, as well as THE BOY ON THE BUS and JAMIE AND ANGUS TOGETHER.

Reviews

[Christine Meunier · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful tale that is easy for kids to follow.

[Zaid · Rating 4 out of 5]

A familiar rhyme where the ‘little one says roll over’. The little one in this version shares the bed with nine cuddly toys. As each cuddly toy falls out the bed, they join in in getting up to all sorts of mischief throughout the house. This is done through illustrations as the words of the book simply recite the rhyme. It does end slightly different to the classic version in that the ‘little one’ is a little bit cold without the other nine so they all jump back into bed to go to sleep. This version is illustrated with lovely detail and would be a great support to counting back numbers in the EYFS. Also great for early readers.
You can’t beat the tried and tested classics!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy, happy memories for me of reading this book to my boys when they were toddlers :-)

Obviously, one to be read whilst snuggled up in bed. The words are easily learned and followed, but it's the illustrations which really make this such a magical book. Lots of expression, emotion and little things going on in the corners and edges to find and talk about.

We haven't kept all of the children's early-years books, but this one has a treasured place on our bookshelves and in our hearts.

[Amber]

Het is een leuk kinderboek om voor te lezen aan kleuters. Het is niet echt een heel diep gaant verhaal en het is ook niet heel origineel. Er bestaan al een hele hoop verhalen en liedjes met precies dezelfde context. Dat neemt niet weg dat het een leuk boek is, de illustratie's zijn leuk en daarnaast ook nog uitdagend tot vragen. Want als er een paar dieren uit bed zijn gevallen dan gaan hun naar de keuken om koekjes en melk te pakken. Dit is iets waar je met je klas op in zou kunnen gaan. Eerst zou je kunnen kijken naar welke kinderen het is opgevallen dat die beesten naar de keuken gaan en daarna zou je door kunnen gaan op wat ze daar aan het doen zijn. Het verhaal bevat veel herhaling wat heel goed is voor kleuters. Daarnaast wordt er ook getelt in het boek en ook dat is een goed element waar je verder op in zou kunnen gaan. Ga bijvoorbeeld al specifiek met die kinderen tellen, tel de knuffels, laat de kinderen hardop mee tellen. Dit is een goed boek voor kleuters die net beginnen met tellen. Ook is de boodschap dat het gezelligers is samen ook een mooi onderdeel van het boek. Het is een goed kinderboek met veel aspecten waar je dieper op in zou kunnen gaan.
Ik vind het een leuk kinderboek en zou het zeker een keer voorlezen als ik voor de kleuters sta.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little much for a book in hand, but a cute retelling with a variety of stuffed animals who fall, shoved, thrown out of the bed. However, they rejoin the child when they are missed and finally fall asleep.

[Kylie Abecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a cute little twist to the original. The pics made it look like the ‘little one’ was a little turd that treated his toys terribly though.

[Anouschka Fernander · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is based on the popular song with the same title. The difference is that each time an animal is named and they fall out of the bed with different sounds, making this a really good book to read to an Early Years class as they can all join in. In the end the little one is lonely and wants all the animals to come back. The book is beautifully illustrated and is a delight to read to the class!

The children could also count backwards from 10 which I think is really good for practising numbers up to ten and learning about 'one less than..' e.g.
"There were ten in the bed and the little one said, 'Roll over, roll over!' So they all rolled over and Hedgehog fell out... BUMP!"
"There were nine in the bed...."

Also, lots of different animals fall out of bed and children will learn animal names such as Zebra, Rabbit, Mouse, and Hedgehog which I think are not featured in stories as much as dogs, cats, pigs, wolves and ducks.

This book can be used in many different contexts, maths, music, drama and even literacy where children could put the animals in the order that they fall out of bed which is good for sequencing.

[Monowara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ten in the Bed is a brilliant short story for the very young and the old alike. It reminds me of my childhood and when i read it at a very young age. It is a fun book to read. It is about a little child who is ready for bed and sleeps with 9 other animals, but before they sleep the little child pushes the animals off the bed one by one. The text is written in a way that you can sing along to it and has a bit of a rhyme which helps the children keep track of the story and they end up knowing the words. Most of it is repetition. The story is great for the very young ones as it helps with their counting from 10-1. It has great pictures, and all these different animals which they can learn the names of and see what each animal looks like from the great illustrations. Also, it is a good book for children learning new short and snappy words that imitate the sounds for eg, bump! Overall it is a great read. Highly recommended!

[Hasina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming short story book based on the traditional nursery rhyme with a very clever and subtle variation. The author creates 9 stuffed animals and one little boy in a cramped bed. On each page, they all roll over and one of the stuffed animals falls out. On the last page, all the animals jump back into bed.
This is a compelling sing-song cumulative countdown storybook, and it’s marvellous use of alliteration and repetitive text accompanied by the whimsical warm illustrations in soft coloured tones with contrasting and striking bold coloured toys, almost jump out the page with each countdown.
The book is perfect for Early Years and KS1 to assist in counting from 10-1. It’s also a good introduction for imitating short sharp sound words. Overall, this book can effortlessly capture little minds as it’s an enjoyable and addictive read for young learners.

[Vera Godley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delightful retake on the much loved nursery song "Ten in the Bed" is absolutely charming. And it has stood the test of time. The illustrations are sweet, utterly delightful, and captivating. Lots of motion in the pictures. Lots of critters to delight. Lots of fun.

And the idea of ten in the bed goes back many years to a time when families were large, beds few and crowded, and space extremely limited. A bit of a jolly song not to make fun of the situation but to lend a light-heartedness to one of the facts of life as it existed at the time for many.

So the little one said, "Roll over, roll over..... and...."

I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.

[Priscilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This version of 'Ten In The Bed' story is about a little boy having nine animals and one teddy sleeping in one bed. They all roll out of bed one by one and in the end the boy get's lonely and the animals and his teddy get back into bed. It is a subtle version of the nursery song Roll Over, Roll Over. This book would be good for reception and year one children as it is visually pleasing and easy to interpret what actions the characters are doing. The text is also set out very much like the song in the text, so it could be sung instead of read.
It could be used to learn about animals, counting, feeling and friendships.

[Victoria Leininger-halpern · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book and have for as long as I can remember, it always made me laugh as a child and gives me nostalgia now as an adult. While formulaic in structure, the writing in this book is simplistic yet humorous and relateable to any child who has maybe one too many stuffed animals.

The drawings in this book are simple, yet perfect to go along with the story, and the personality the illustrator gave to each animal is a very nice touch to the story. I recommend this book to children of all ages, as it has many aspects to which they should be able to relate.

[Little David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book that I inherited from my mother! It's perfect for reinforcing memorization.

[Lacie Ortiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be great for children ages three and up. Its obvious center focus is for younger children. Ten in The Bed is about a little boy who tells ten animals friends to "roll over". One by one, the animals roll over and fall off the bed. When the boy is the only one left in the bed, he is lonely and cold. So they all come back, and fall to sleep, comfy and happy. I was happy when reading the book because it was super cute and it was read to me when I was little, but reading it now, the pages became really repetitive after I got to the 5th page. The title and cover page brought back memories and sometimes it feels nice to do a quick flash back. But the receptiveness and the pictures is what grab these very young children's attention. I would not use this book in a third grade classroom, but it could definitely be used in preschool, kindergarten or even first grade. This book could be used as a read aloud while asking the students what could happen next, or in this case asking, "Now how many animals are in the bed?" This allows students to be engaged in the reader as well as using math skills! Killing two birds with one stone!

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW ON MY BLOG: https://bookreadingtic.com/2023/11/16... AND PLEASE FOLLOW ME, THANK YOU!

Roll Over!

This is a new version of a classic nursery rhyme. In this edition, ten very different animal friends join a little boy in his bed. In this one, the little one in the bed does tell them all to roll over, and one falls out. But the tale is told in a different, charming way, and all the animals add to story.

The adorable illustrations done by the author bring everything to life, and the ending is unexpected, adding a nice twist to the rhyme.

This is the thirty-five-year anniversary of this well-loved, five-star book. It is a nicely done board book ready for a whole new generation of children to discover it! Children through four years old will enjoy this.

Thank you, Candlewick Books, for providing Tickmenot with a book to review. Opinions are my own.

[Laurie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this version of the classic rhyme/song. The illustrations are nice, and I like how different animals are used. So instead of "They all rolled over and one fell out," it's "They all rolled over and Zebra fell out," and so on.

The modified ending is really cute as well, when "the little one" is cold and lonely, and all the animals jump back in the bed. So cute! I think this would be so much fun to use in a baby/toddler or preschool storytime with either puppets or flannel board animals. The animals could pop out of a bag, or off the flannel board, for the kids to collect. Then when they all come back at the end, the kids could bring the animals back up! I love books that lend themselves to being interactive.

Extra props for the ability to be used as a singable book and/or a counting book as well!

[Rika · Rating 5 out of 5]

When my son Elliot was 1-2, his daycare teacher would read this book every day. Elliot loved it so much and had this little hand motion when she would sing “Roll over!” He had bad separation anxiety so he would cry when we’d drop him off but if she was reading this book, he would run in and start doing that hand motion. It was so cute. He still loves reading the book and recreates the throwing of animals off the bed.

[Bud and Mama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such nostalgia as I remember reading this as a child. This was a library book that we reserved after seeing it being read in sign language on CBeebies bedtime stories.

A super sweet book, 18 m/o Bud loves pointing out the names of the animal cuddlies and doing the noises for them. It’s also a lovely repetitive sing song story, which he particularly engaged with. The images are soft and gentle and it is a lovely bedtime read. Perhaps one to buy long term!

[Chloe Berntsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another book that I read growing up and just recently came across again. I loved this book so much due to the illustrations as well as the inclusion of so many different animals involved throughout the story. Due to the cooperation of animals, I feel as though it would be a great read for younger kids as it would keep them engaged in the book. I would want this book in my classroom because I feel like my students would enjoy it a lot!

[Nabeela Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful spin on the well known, memorable nursery rhyme 'There were ten in the bed.....'.
An opportunity to have a sing with your early years and KS1 class!
Maybe ask your pupils what animals they would use in their own nursery rhyme, would they be in a bed?, would they make a different sound when the fall off?

A way of get children singing, moving and imagining!

[Michelle Turnure · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little book about a little boy playing with his stuffed animals. Each one of the stuff animals keep falling off the bed. Page by page you count how many were in the bed and then one falls off. The illustrations are sweet. It's not a story though I will end up reading over and over to my kid.

[Indy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A subtle variation on the traditional nursery song illustrated with wonderfully warm pictures which are crammed with amusing details.

A nice bedtime story for young children to teach them about importance of sharing and friendship.

[Mort's Kids · Rating 2 out of 5]

A classic nursery rhyme, with a twist!

The twist is that the child is a complete sociopath. He throws all his animals out of the bed with absolute glee and then demands they return when he's cold.

I don't like him. I don't like him one bit.

[Rosalina Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was obsessed with reading this book over and over as a child. I loved the rhymes and repetitive nature of every page which made it very catchy and exciting to read. Suitable for KS1 age due to its humour and illustrations.

[Nicole Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

My boys absolutely love this story. Got this out from the library and they haven’t put it down since they got. Lovely story that gets your child engaged in the story and helps his speech.

[Jenna Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun take on the song

[Hiba Yuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

We've always loved the rhymes, so this was delightful to read.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books as a kid! Love the illustrations.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always sang this book to my kids when I read it to them. It is certainly a nice story, but as song may be why we all enjoyed it so much.

[Chris Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

It would’ve been better if the 🐊 had eaten the 🐰.