The Nuts: Bedtime at the Nut House

The Nuts #1

by Eric Litwin, Scott Magoon (Illustrator)

In an unforgettably catchy bedtime adventure, singer-songwriter Eric Litwin -- author of the first three mega-bestselling Pete the Cat books -- invites readers to chime in and join the nutty, pun-filled fun, with a downloadable song available!

It's bedtime at the Nut House, but little Wally and Hazel Nut aren't ready to go to sleep. "We're Nuts! We're Nuts! We're Nuts!" Why go to bed when you could be singing and howling at the moon? But Mama Nut insists... "All little Nuts need to go up to bed!" Who will win this bedtime tug-of-war? Readers can listen to and/or download Litwin's bluesy spoken-sung performance of the book and additional songs at www.TheNutFamily.com. 

Don't miss the other hilarious read-along, sing-along books about the Nut Family!
Sing and Dance in Your Polka-Dot Pants
The Nuts Keep Rolling!

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Storytime, Childrens, Music, Humor, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published July 29, 2014

About the author

Eric Litwin (Mr. Eric) is a guitar strumming, book writing, harmonica blowing, song singing, folksy, fun type of guy. He is the # 1 New York Times Best Selling author of the first four Pete the Cat picture books and the author of the new musical series The Nuts. Eric's books have sold over 1.5 million copies, been translated into seven languages and won 15 state and national awards including a Theodor Geisel Seuss Honor Award. He has also recorded award winning music CDs. Eric is a popular performing artist who plays guitar, sings, tells musical stories and brings books to life. He is also a nationally respected keynote speaker on interactive literacy and music. Eric is the co-creator of The Learning Groove which offers parent and child music classes and preschool music curriculum. Eric likes music, books and coffee.

Reviews

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

We met Eric today and he read/sung this adorable book. He got the kids moving and singing. My girls loved him. I can't wait to get a copy of The Nuts. Eric is so groovy!!!

[Brenda Kahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to be at a Little Brown preview at Midwinter, where the special, secret guest was Eric Litwin, who sang/ read this deliciously delightful bedtime book to us. Arcs were available at the Fall Preview yesterday and I gleefully grabbed one to revisit. This is sure to be a story time favorite and a noisy one at that, as nearly every page invites participation of the dancing/ yelling sort. The digitally produced art is humorous, cartoonish and energetic. Scattered throughout the scenes of bedtime mayhem are funny items that play on the word, 'nut,' such as a bowling alley called the Nut Bowl - Open Late, or the ball pit labeled, dipped nuts. Not to mention the main characters names - Hazel Nut and Wally Nut. Definite must-purchase!

[Mark Frazier · Rating 1 out of 5]

That book was horrible, and a shot at the nuts. Where's the father nut? Let me guess, the nut cracker got him.🥺

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story about a couple of youngsters who would rather play and sing instead of going to bed. Mother starts off gently reminding them that it's time for bed, but Hazel and Wally aren't listening. Finally Mother has to be more direct. The illustrations are hilarious, including Wally's "nut butt" on page 10. It would pair nicely with "Power Down, Little Robot" by Anna Staniszewski. It also has a sweet, loving message: So Big Mama Nut, said, 'No matter what, you will always be my sweet little Nuts."

There's also a nice lullaby: "Good night, little Nut, good night.
Good night, little Nut, good night.
I love you the way you are.
You're my nutty shining star.
Good night, little Nut, good night."

You can download the free song and lullaby, and have a nutty sing-along at TheNutFamily.com

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I love that Eric Litwin is back with another series and I love that it includes the songs like Pete the Cat, but I'm going to mention something that just drives ME nuts. And this issue also appears in Litwin's Pete books.

Why is it that whenever the song has a song with a phrase repeated 4 times, the text/word bubbles in the book only show it 3 times? It is so frustrating to use the audio track or to sing the same tune and words as the song when using this book for storytime with preschoolers. I am trying to teach print awareness, but where did this other line of text come from, it's not on the page. If they try to read the book along with the audio track following the words with their finger, where do they go?

It may seem insignificant, but it really annoys me. Other than that I think Litwin's books are great.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally got to the library in the new city we now live in, so we can resume reading new books at bed time. I like stories like this one. Stories that are fun and convey a message kids identify with. This one was about kids getting pretty wound up at bed time and Mama getting angry because they would not listen. This scenario had just played out before we read the story (with me in the Mama role). Anger is a tricky emotion, for kids and parents. I'm glad the book emphasized you can be angry AND love someone.

[Megan Knippenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, punny book with vivid illustrations. I like that you can download the voice recording to put a melody to the song parts. My son is a little to young to appreciate it yet, as he can't make the connection between the audio recording and the book itself. =)

[SB · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Nuts are my new favorite. I flipping love their rhyming stories that are hilarious! My 4 yo and I love to sing their "refrains," too. Eric Litwin is a genius at writing/singing with kids! Love this series!

[Benji Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes. Thank you Mr. Litwin.

[Michele Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story but loved it combined with the video of Eric Litwin performing it with a group of children.

[Cindy Dobrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

And what is bedtime like at YOUR house? If you have little ones, or have raised little ones, or read picture books to little ones, you are going to want this nutty bedtime book. I would start a half hour before bedtime with the music (link to the book trailer and song and a longer review is in our Bookends blog post here:

http://www.thebooklistreader.com/2014...

After you've danced and sung to the song you can snuggle in for reading time and enjoy the zany illustrations. There are plenty of puns for adults to chuckle at too (as Mama nut gets louder and more frustrated at trying to get the little nuts to bed, an arrow pointing at mama’s now-red cheeks says “Roasted Chestnut.”

Big bedtime fun with song and adorable illustrations.

[Erika Bichet · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Nuts: Bedtime at the Nut House was a very interesting yet fun read. My future students would love this book as a read aloud in my future classroom. It has bright illustrations, and the words are in a singing tune. It also is about the battle of not wanting to go to bed, they would be learning the importance of listening to their parent(s) when it is time to go to bed or do as they are told. They would be learning this, while still enjoying the book.


Description: It's bedtime at the Nut House, but little Wally and Hazel Nut aren't ready to go to sleep.
"We're Nuts! We're Nuts! We're Nuts!" Why go to bed when you could be singing and howling at the moon? But Mama Nut insists... "All little Nuts need to go up to bed!" Who will win this bedtime tug-of-war?

[Dusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eric Litwin writes books that are fun to read aloud. Like his Pete the Cat books, Bedtime at the Nuthouse is structured like a song with bits of story interspersed with a chorus. My son loves how Mama Nut's voice grows gradually louder, and often after we've finished the book he opens it back up to the "red page," where Mama shouts "All little nuts need to go up to bed!" for the final time. As an adult reader, I appreciate the bright illustrations with their silly nut-related puns (for one example, there's a poster in the kids' room for the band Nutvana/Nirvana). However, I think the pictures are a little busy (and the puns too remote) for my three-year-old.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun book! It think boys and girls will like it. I like how the mother tries to get her kid nuts to bed, and each time her voice gets louder and louder, till she is louder than her children. It's like a mother or father as the try to get they're children to do something.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nutsy little children all pumped up at bedtime not listening to their Mama? Imagine that. The Pete the Cat guy has returned with another fabulous offering. I love this Mama who uses THE VOICE. I love her patience to exasperation to reassurance, very realistic. I love the buoyant funny little kids who don't mean to get Mama mad, they are just full of beans (if nuts can be full of beans...). A lot of families will see themselves in this lighthearted bedtime story and kids will be reassured by the loving message at the end.

[Sara Grochowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's bedtime at the Nut house, but Wally and Hazel Nut just aren't ready to go to sleep! Instead, they ignore Mama and keep playing and singing their song: 'We're Nuts! We're Nuts! We're Nuts!' It's only after lots of warnings and Mama finally giving them THE LOOK that these two little Nuts settle down for bed. THE NUTS: BEDTIME AT THE NUT HOUSE is another funny read aloud from Eric Litwin that is sure to have kids singing and laughing along.

[Sydney Hall]

What a fun book! I love this one. It is written by the same author who wrote "Pete the Cat" and has the same sing-along aspect. My favorite thing about this book is the creativity of having nuts as the main characters. The author uses several puns throughout the book such as, calling the mom a "roasted chestnut" when she gets mad at "Hazel nut" and "Wally nut." It made me think that some kids might not pick up on these subtle hints but it makes it enjoyable for parents to read too!

[Sadie Devin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book uses bright colored illustrations as well as different kinds of text. This book has regular narrative text as well as conversation bubbles and noises. This would be great for students to buddy read with someone or to read alone so they can focus on the illustrations and the order of the text and conversation bubbles. This can help students connect sounds to spelled out words and what they look like in the picture.

[Pam Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eric Litwin just knows how to have fun! Another great book with repetition, rhyme, and silly characters. Yet this is also sweet with Mama Nut saying, "No matter what, you will always be my sweet little Nuts." Be sure to see the live performance of Litwin sharing this book with children: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrsDn...

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first time I read this (to myself) it was a meh. But then I read it to the kids...36 times and it's grown on me. I was a little annoyed with recycled Pete the Cat lines -- they kept singing their tune...did they stop, goodness no...blah blah. The kids think its hilarious (there is a screaming mother, kids who won't go to bed and a "nut butt"-- so it's all very familiar to us.)

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny representation of a familiar battle--bedtime. I would have given it 5 stars, but I didn't like that there is never any interaction with the kids from Papa Nut, even though he's pictured on one of the first pages. I do like the bonus lullaby at the end, encouraging parents to sing to their kids. And they can download the song & lullaby so they don't have to make up the tune themselves.

[Judy Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eric Lutwin has done it again!

I thought the Pete the Cat books were my favorite books. However, now that I have read The Nuts: Bedtime at the Nut House, I have a new favorite. I teach kindergarteners and the rhythm, rhymes and repetition Eric Lutwin uses is a powerful way to get young children to love books.

[Margaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm just about dying right now. Here's a video for this adorable book that includes a suggested melody a la Eric Litwin's classic style. A fun little jaunt for when your storytime kids need a break.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't give a single good reason about why I didn't really care for this book. It just didn't click for me at that time. I can still say it's worth reading, and for kids of a certain age and a certain instinct for silliness it will be loads of fun. There are jokes and puns and a warm loving family. It just didn't work for me.

[Ma Rie · Rating 5 out of 5]

We got to hear Mr. Eric read/sing/perform his new book at our local library last week. The book is amazing.....so much fun!! Love the characters. Cannot wait for the book to be released next month and for the rest to follow! So much fun!!

[pati · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know children learn by repetition but this book is really annoying (similar to Pete the Cat books.) This is a zero stars book, it is that annoying. I didn't finish the book because the artwork is just as annoying as the text.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uh... I expected a bit more from Litwin, because I love his other works so much. Some of the humor was more of a "really?" And the ending wasn't quite to my taste for my own reasons. Wouldn't mind hearing the song at some point. Has its place, just not quite Pete the Cat.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sing-songy story about little nuts who need to go to bed but who are too wound up to do so. The illustrations are cute and the family dynamics are accessible. Great for phonologic awareness!

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was annoyed with the family roles. Papa Nut just sits around and Mama Nut continues to raise her voice and get angry at the kids because they won't get ready for bed.

Lots of nut-themed puns, if you like that kind of thing. It's just no Pete the Cat.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK IS HYSTERICAL.
The Nut kids (Hazel and Wally) don't want to go to bed, but Momma Nut insists that they do. The kids are crazy, the illustrations are vivid and funny, and the rhythm of the book is perfect. LOVE IT.