Tuck Me In

by Nathan W. Pyle

One starry night, the moon kindly pulls the sea up to the sand, to tuck the beach in.

But all of a sudden, she hears another beach in the in the distance cry out, "HEY, WHERE DID MY BLANKET GO?"

Uh oh! As the moon pushes the tide back and forth trying to tuck in both beaches, one is always left uncovered and unhappy, and the bickering begins . . .

Can the moon get them to agree to take turns?

Nathan W. Pyle combines his signature humour with a pinch of science, inviting readers to tuck in to this hilarious story about the ever-present bedtime struggle and the fun that can be found in compromise.

FROM THE CREATOR OF THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, STRANGE PLANET - NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES ON APPLE TV+

Genres: Picture Books, Science, Nature, Childrens, Space, Storytime, Stem

39 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 2, 2025

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nathan W. Pyle slips some science about tides into a bedtime story while keeping the tone light and humorous and the pictures very cute. So sneaky!

[Lily Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

ADORABLE
MAKES ME WANT TO BE TUCKED IN BY THE MOON TOO <333
(TY JULES 🫶🏻🥹)

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. An interesting and more complete, sciencey, story about the moon’s effects on tide. My one big cavil is why use the word push to describe what the moon does with water. Why ‘push’ a blanket of water up onto the sand rather than ‘pull’? Isn’t gravity more of a pull than a push? I also struggled with the important attempt to explain why both beaches, on opposite sides, can’t have high tide at the same time. The reason provided was as if the blanket of water would tear and leave nothing in the middle for fish to swim in. My logical son would have been driven insane by this. Having read two recently published moon picture books with nonfiction content I still do not understand why high tides happen on opposite sides of the earth at the same time, with the low tides occurring at the perpendicular sides. Is it the rotation of the earth, distributing the pulled water? Like a hula hoop, or a whirl pool? Surely this is the central reality that these books should be explaining.

[Aneesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This man is a creative genius.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very cute and subtly informative read about tides, compromise and sharing. The story is about two beaches that want to be tucked in by the moon but have to ultimately takes turns with their watery blanket. It's a very clever way of explaining high and low tides. The illustrations were charming and overall the book was very enjoyable.

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Arguing over who gets tucked in first or how someone is hogging the covers was a cute concept to teach littles about the tides, but when the beaches started learning how to build sandcastles the story really fell apart.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you explain the ocean’s tides to children? Nathan Pyle, the author of the popular and hilarious Strange Planet series, answers that question. The Moon has to contend with two beaches who each want to be tucked in at the same time. The trouble is, when she tucks one beach in by pushing the ocean up onto the beach, the other beach is chilly. So she tells the beaches “the ocean’s like a blanket, and that blanket’s full of fish,” explaining how the fish couldn’t swim if all the water were on one side of the world. When further squabbles develop about who gets the first turn, the moon invents sandcastles. And that is how the tide, or T.I.D.E. is invented. It’s the moon’s Tuck-Ins Divided Evenly Schedule. Now you know!

Kind, parental like Moon and child-like beaches make the concept relatable to young audiences. Pyle’s spare digital art keeps the focus on the dialogue between the moon and the beaches, and funny little details keep the tone light. Kids will see that the planet they’re living on is a sphere with oceans in different parts. A little red crab witnesses the interactions, and learns along with the reader. And Pyle adds a semi-scientific spread at the end explaining how the high and low tides work. This is a sweet bedtime book for kids who muse about the oceans.

[Robin Berman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the artwork, structure, and the glossy paper.

This is a very clever take on explaining the tides, with the Moon anthropomorphized speaking to the different beaches. The moon comes up with a plan to make all the beaches happy with low tide- sandcastles. Very cute.

I took off 1 star because he didn't properly explain the science and according to this over simplified explanation it seems the low:high tides will be on opposite sides of the planet. But, they are not. Opposite sides of the planet have high tide simultaneously while the halfway points (90°) experience low tides in the middle. There are bulges of the water on opposite sides of the planet. While there is one section in the middle of the book saying it bulges on opposite sides as the moon pulls, the illustration with it saying "tucked in" or "sandcastle " doesn't show the water bulging out on the tucked in sides. Also next to "tucked in" it should say high tide- less beach/sand and next to "sandcastle" it should say low tide - more beach/sand.

I especially liked the expressions on the moon, and my favorite was when the moon said "sweet hoobly hoo." Funny and cute, and original.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a clever way to teach youngsters about the effects the Moon has on the ocean's tides! After the Moon tucks in one sandy beach for the night, another beach complains because that action moved its blanket. Back and forth things go, and there's no way to please both of them. The artwork depicts the ocean's water as a rippling blue blanket, making all this understandable. Other beaches clamor to get in on the act, and the Moon comes up with a plan called T.I.D.E., which stands for Tuck-Ins Divided Evenly, and there's even a book with a schedule. The beaches look so contented, and there's even additional science factoids that explain how those tides work.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: One night a beach said, "I'm a bit chilly!" The moon smiled and said, "I'll tuck you in!" So the moon pushed the water up onto the sand. But off in the distance, another beach cried, "Heyyy! Where did my blanket go?" And the moon realized she might have just made a mistake.

Premise/plot: Tuck Me In! is a story written for young children to explain the tide. OR T.I.D.E. Tucking In Divided Evenly. It is a FUN, silly, creative way to explain how high tides and low tides work.

My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one! It was such a fun read. Highly recommended.

[Holly Keimig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything from Nathan W. Pyle, so it is no surprise that I love his latest children's book. This would be a great book for kids resisting bedtime. The moon tries to tuck in the sand on the beach, but hears a cry from another beach who is now missing their blanket. The moon looks for solutions to keep everyone happy and rested and kids learn about tides in the process. Great illustrations and a bit of learning snuck in! Highly recommend!

[Read Ribbet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nathan W Pye uses a clever story and his bold illustrations to explain how the moon effects the ocean tides. The moon responds to one beach requesting a water blanket but then he discovers that leaves another beach exposed. So moon has to come up with a way to keep both sides happy. The book ends with some panels of factual information. It is a fun story to help explain this scientific phenomenon.

[Dolores Stonecypher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Book is Wonderful!

While waiting for my great niece to receive her book in the mail, I purchased the Kindle edition for myself and read it this morning. This book is wonderful in every way. Thank you Nathan W Pyle for creating such a beautifully illustrated story for people like me and children of ALL ages!!!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uses the concept of tides to tell a story about two beaches that want to be tucked in by the moon and the ocean. There is some trying to show how the ocean and the moon work together to make the tides. But mostly it's just a silly story that seems more about taking turns and compromise. There are some facts in the back about tides.

[Hailey!! · Rating 5 out of 5]

How cute! This is the type of book I would love to have been read in the library when I was a grade schooler. It is for any kids wondering why at night the ocean goes higher on the beach, or how the moon affects the sea! Even I learned something based on how it was all explained. Also it is just so cute as an idea.

[Anne Hayner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just delightful! A children's book by Nathan Pyle (of Strange Planet brilliance) was enough to make me find it, and it's as clever and sweet as it should be. Captures exactly the demands of competing children, and memorably explains how the moon invented TIDE (Tuck Ins Divided Evenly) to resolve them. I can't wait to read this to a child, especially if an ocean is nearby. Love it!

[SABRINA · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book is very clever with not only information on tides but also it touches core concepts like sharing and taking turns. The Moon is indeed a problem solver. I love the added little comments from the side characters which add to the "fun," alongside some pages which are in panel format that are a big hit for the kids today. Loved, will read in my storytime!

[Jessie Tuttle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good way to introduce the moon and oceans to children. it shows how they ocean "tucks in" the sand at night. It introduces tides and what happens. This would be a good book to use in science with children or as just a fun book if science isn't offered.

[Tina Hoggatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful story about the creation of the tides with two competing beaches on opposite sides of the world wanting to be "tucked in" by the ocean. The moon is kept very busy. Simple, fun illustrations by the author and excellent back matter.

[Zuz reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful! Sweet and funny while supplying a sprinkle of science education. Very much enjoyed reading this to my kiddo at bedtime. Looking forward to reading it on repeat.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

super cute bed time appropriate story - my second grader loves it!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute and clever. A bedtime story mixed that teaches about tides. Such an obvious premise it is shocking it hasn't been done before

[Jola · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this bit of fun learning about the tides.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun way to explain to kids about tides.

[Terra · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a word, delightful. Purchased for my two-and-a-half year old nephew, who co-signs.

[Margaret Gerberding · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very cute picture book by the author of Strange Planet.

[GS Dachslove · Rating 5 out of 5]

All about the moon creating tides...but very story-i-fied!

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever and spot on.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fanciful explanation of the tides. The moon tries to tuck in one beach with the ocean, which pulls the ocean away from a different beach. How to get them to take turns?

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love me some Nathan Pyle humor. This is a cute children's book with some scientific explanation as well.