Bedtime

by Kate Duke

Kate Duke's lively guinea pigs are back in board book format. This simple story, told in just a few choice words, feature a mischievous guinea pig and his ever-patient mama. The silly story line is just right for toddlers, who will delight in mother and child's evening routine in Bedtime This board book features a bright, updated cover for the nineties. Adorable and irresistible, it is perfect for both story and bedtime read-alouds with parents and their own tireless toddlers.

10 pages, Board Book

First published March 25, 1986

About the author

Duke was born in New York City on August 1, 1956. She had said that reading was a favorite pastime all through childhood, and in an interview for Something About the Author noted that Louise Fitzhugh’s Harriet the Spy was a fictional character she modeled, right down to keeping tabs on the people in her neighborhood. “I think I owe Harriet my first conscious awareness of the act of writing as important and meaningful work,” she said.

She attended Duke University in the mid 1970s and also took art classes in New York City, which helped solidify her growing ambition to create picture books. Her first book, The Guinea Pig ABC (Dutton) was published in 1983 and received warm accolades for its humor and inventiveness. She followed up her debut with Guinea Pigs Far and Near (Dutton, 1984) and several other titles starring the popular critters. Duke went on to craft more than 20 picture books, writing and illustrating her own work, as well as providing illustrations for other authors including Joanna Cole and William Hooks. Duke married cartoonist Sidney Harris in 1985.

Reviews

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually ignore board books since I've been too old for them for 50 years, but I am knocked out by Kate Duke's guinea pig drawings. They are unique. These piggies are humanized, but still very much look like guinea pigs.

This is not too sweet, goofy and multi-layered. What more can you want in a board book featuring guinea pigs? If only the real world was like this.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute illustrations and simple, relatable text made this a favorite for my toddler.