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Time for Bed, Fred!

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Meet Fred-a mischievous, playful, loving dog. It's time for Fred to go to bed . . . but Fred really, really doesn't want to! From hiding up in trees, to splashing in muddy puddles, to hiding behind bookshelves, Fred will do anything to avoid bedtime. He would even rather have a bath than go to bed . . . but all of this running couldn't possibly have possibly made Fred sleepy-could it? Bound to strike a chord with parents and children with their own bedtime distraction techniques, Yasmeen Ismail's hilarious text and cheerful, vivid illustrations will have every reader shouting by the very last page, "Time for Bed, Fred!"

32 pages, Hardcover

First published July 4, 2013

5 people are currently reading
152 people want to read

About the author

Yasmeen Ismail

56 books34 followers
Irish-born, Bristol-based Yasmeen Ismail is an award-winning author, illustrator and animator. Yasmeen studied at art school in her hometown, Dublin and graduated in 2002. After Yasmeen moved to London she lent her talents to many different projects ranging from advertising to children's publishing.

After moving to London and running a successful animation production company and having worked in varying capacities within it (Director, Designer, Creative, Animator, Producer, Script-writer) Yasmeen found herself writing and illustrating picture books. From her experience with scripts and storyboards she is familiar with writing narratives and working with story lines, and is especially acquainted with editing her work and writing creatively within boundaries. In turn, and as a result of her animating background, her illustrations are bright, fluid and full of energy and movement. She has a love of watercolours, inks and paints and is moving to all sorts of other mediums. Yasmeen has a propensity to experiment and expand in all areas of her work and is constantly trying new ways to improve her writing and drawing.

Currently Yasmeen is writing her fourth book for Bloomsbury UK, and her first for Walker Books, and is working on her first for Nosy Crow and another for Pan Macmillan. She has just completed 2 books for publishers in the USA and has more exciting projects lining up for 2015. She has written and illustrated several more picture books and activity books, which will be released in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

She has just moved to Bristol from London with her husband. They miss their cat very much and spend their evenings talking about her.

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5 stars
100 (16%)
4 stars
230 (38%)
3 stars
203 (34%)
2 stars
55 (9%)
1 star
5 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
Profile Image for Spencer Orey.
600 reviews213 followers
August 30, 2018
The watercolors and the overall tone are a blast. Fred is especially well-painted and comes across as one very lovable dog. Fred seems like a handful (who has a bedtime for their dog anyway?). We read it over and over.
Profile Image for Britney  Meyers .
45 reviews6,257 followers
May 26, 2018
Another book about a spoiled animal who will not listen to its owner… Uuugh are you kidding me? What the H-E double hockey sticks… Don't we have enough books about spoild children and spoiled animals? Have writters ever heard of something called listening skills? How about respect… Anyone ever heard of respect? You CANNOT tell an adult NO! Everyone over the age of thirity deserves respect and Fred the dog shows non and his owners seems… Okay with it… Hmm to me thats not teaching them what happens if you do not listen to your parents… Thats teaching kids that its okay to ignore what thwy are told… All of you people under twenty out there should be listening because i have learned this multiple times… If a grown up asks you to do something then you simply reply with a…

Yes ma'am

No ma'am

Yes sir

No sir

Trust me… You NEVER want to be disrespectful… Fred i know was just a dog but he was a dog that children are reading about and he is setting a BAD example… Fred was told to do something and he just ignored it and decided to do what he wanted instead of what he was asked. That tics me off! Remember kids read these things and people need knowledge that things get put into childrens head… DO NOT TEACH THEM THE WRONG THINGS!

Just like curious George the pictures were just water colored and that bugged me… Fred was just a little gray blob shaped like a dog and because of the story plot and the pictures i cannot rate this story to much...

My Rateing
3/5
Profile Image for Laura Harrison.
1,167 reviews137 followers
May 6, 2015
Unique, whimsical, fun illustrations. A very child friendly happy book. Perfect for repeat readings.
Profile Image for Maggie.
1,134 reviews
February 27, 2017
Fun book to share with toddlers before bedtime. I had the pleasure of reading this to my granddaughters who are three and one. It was a hit and had to be read multiple times.
Profile Image for Sarah Sammis.
8,039 reviews251 followers
September 7, 2020
Time for Bed, Fred! by Yasmeen Ismail is a picture book about the futility of trying to put a dog to bed. Metaphorically it's about parents and children and the many stalling techniques used to stay up a little bit longer.

At it's most literal, this book is adorable. Dogs do fall into family routines and they can be put to bed, or rather, to their kennel or dog bed. A well raised dog is actually pretty easy to put to bed.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2020/comm...
Profile Image for Jessica.
651 reviews51 followers
January 12, 2015
The perfect bedtime story for my rowdy three year old who does NOT want to go to bed, and wants to have a very funny time doing it. The phonetic repetition is catchy, and encourages the audience to recite along.
Profile Image for Heather.
1,949 reviews1 follower
October 3, 2015
The two year old really enjoyed this. The illustrations are great at showing movement. Although occasionally needed to be explained as it could be hard for a little guy to figure out what was happening. (dog shaking off water).
10 reviews
March 6, 2018
Summary
Fred is a dog. He is very mischievous, playful, and loving. He likes to play outside and climb into tree’s. He like to itch his body and run into muddy puddles! Fred gets a bath and then it’s time for bed. Fred doesn’t want to go to bed. He hides, he doesn’t listen, and he goes back outside. It gets very late and Fred is still not asleep in his bed! Fred will do anything to avoid going to bed! What will finally get Fred to go to sleep in his own bed?

Activity
If Fred was your dog how would you get him to go to bed and go to sleep? Write three ways that you can try and make Fred sleepy and listen to you. After you write our your ways to help Fred go to bed share it with your classmate. There should be many great ideas out there!

Ismail, Y. (2015). Time for bed, Fred! London: Bloomsbury.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
13.4k reviews488 followers
August 28, 2024
Would make a good board book, or at least 'sturdy' book. I wouldn't mind reading it over and over. Kids will crow that they are not as naughty as Fred. Art is retro, though I can't remember which artist from years ago did similar work. A little bit like Bernard Waber but in full color.
40 reviews
April 10, 2017
Fredd the happiest dog ever did not want bed time to come. This doggy love Loved this picture book!

This book makes me happy and reminds me of my own dog whenever it is time to go to bed and he just wants to keep playing with his toys. The colors and illustrations were very well done and I can see why children would love this book. Most importantly though, who doesn't love dogs! Fred was a very cute doggy in this book and you can easily love him.
Profile Image for Jennifer Strong.
802 reviews9 followers
June 27, 2017
Fred does NOT want to go to bed and causes his owner a lot of trouble before finally cozying up to sleep.

Easy and repetitive text, good for young children. Plenty of opportunity to add sounds and explanations if read aloud. Would make a great bedtime book!
Profile Image for Catarina.
89 reviews13 followers
January 9, 2018
A história de um adorável cão que tudo faz para fugir à hora de dormir. O meu pequeno de 3 anos amou, chegando mesmo a gargalhar em diferentes momentos (ter-se-á certamente identificado, pois é menino para lutar ferozmente contra o sono!). As ilustrações são belíssimas.
Profile Image for Erika.
204 reviews29 followers
May 19, 2020
The text is sparse and simple, but the images! Some of the most joyful and exuberant illustrations around! Dog owners (and maybe owners of small children who do everything to get out of going to bed) will definitely relate to Fred's antics.
Profile Image for Donna Mork.
2,182 reviews13 followers
January 26, 2018
Such a cute book about a dog that doesn't want to go to bed. And then not in his own bed. Finally finds his own bed with a promise of a story.
Profile Image for Peacegal.
11.8k reviews102 followers
February 5, 2018
Fun, goofy, energetic book that will have kids giggling.
663 reviews30 followers
October 21, 2018
Very funny, but if you’re looking for a book to help your child follow his/her bed time, this isn’t it. Fred is fast and tricky.
Profile Image for Michelle.
3,877 reviews34 followers
May 1, 2019
Fred is very cute and silly
Profile Image for Emily.
1,708 reviews13 followers
February 7, 2020
Another mischievous dog book. Fred gets into lots of trouble when the narrator tries to get him to go to bed. I love this illustrative style and Fred is an adorable imp.
Profile Image for Freddie D.
898 reviews6 followers
May 16, 2021
Another book that I purchased purely based on the name, but was blown away by. This is everything I love in a picture book: sweet, endearing and simple story. Beautiful pictures. And a cheeky puppy.
Profile Image for Rita.
506 reviews64 followers
June 4, 2021
Uma história ideal para os momentos antes de ir para a cama... para os meninos mais ativos, assim como o Baltasar!
Profile Image for Charles Francis.
271 reviews4 followers
June 19, 2023
This book is for 3 to 5 year olds. Very easy nighttime reading to help your little one get ready for bed.
Profile Image for Catarina.
569 reviews2 followers
August 27, 2024
Who's a good boy? Fred!!! This book has wonderful art work and a quick, yet thoughtful story. I would be ok reading this one multiple times a night.
19 reviews1 follower
September 20, 2016
Time for Bed, Fred! follows the dog Fred who would rather do everything else besides go to bed. We see him playing in the flower bed, knocking things over, climbing up the trees, falling into leaves and the process of taking a bath. After he gets clean, instead of going into bed, he runs off again. He hides in the watering can, behind books, climbs into the sink and even tries to hide under a rug. After countless commands from Fred’s owner, we find out how and if Fred finally goes to bed.

The short sentences and simple vocabulary make this is a good read-aloud before bed. A child may even be able to read this book on their own without getting too distracted. The impressionism style conveyed through watercolor illustrations are very bright and dynamic. Fred is the only thing that isn’t colorful but his black and white fur balances out with the bright flowers in the garden and furniture in the house. Although Fred seems to be in trouble, the story line focuses on the silliness of Fred rather then the owner's anger and frustration. The bright colors such as yellow and green help coney this tone. The squiggly and fuzzy lines convey the chaos that Fred is causing by not going to bed. Fred is almost always in action, running away or shaking his fur which gives the pictures a lot of movement and life. When there is a sequence of things that Fred is doing, one side of the page will feature multiple snapshots of different settings and different actions while the opposing page will have a full-bleed, close-up action shot of Fred. The plot relies both on the text and pictures, as just reading the text would be mundane and repetitive but the pictures add the visual and humor that is lost with just the text. Although the words aren’t rhyming, there’s a nice word flow that moves the plot along without being boring, it’s a good length especially for a child who may want to take longer to look at all of the pictures.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews