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Go Sleep in Your Own Bed!
When Pig plops into his sty at bedtime, he finds Cow fast asleep in his spot. “Go sleep in your own bed!” he squeals, and sends her packing. But when Cow finally snuggles down into her stall, she finds Hen sleeping there. So begins a chain reaction of snoozing barnyard animals being awakened and sent off to their own beds, until every last one is in just the right place.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published May 2, 2017
10 people are currently reading
364 people want to read
About the author
Candace Fleming
66 books631 followersI have always been a storyteller. Even before I could write my name, I could tell a good tale. And I told them all the time. As a preschooler, I told my neighbors all about my three-legged cat named Spot. In kindergarten, I told my classmates about the ghost that lived in my attic. And in first grade I told my teacher, Miss Harbart, all about my family's trip to Paris, France.
I told such a good story that people always thought I was telling the truth. But I wasn't. I didn't have a three-legged cat or a ghost in my attic, and I'd certainly never been to Paris, France. I simply enjoyed telling a good story... and seeing my listener's reaction.
Sure, some people might have said I was a seven-year old fibber. But not my parents. Instead of calling my stories "fibs" they called them "imaginative." They encouraged me to put my stories down on paper. I did. And amazingly, once I began writing, I couldn't stop. I filled notebook after notebook with stories, poems, plays. I still have many of those notebooks. They're precious to me because they are a record of my writing life from elementary school on.
In second grade, I discovered a passion for language. I can still remember the day my teacher, Miss Johnson, held up a horn-shaped basket filled with papier-mache pumpkins and asked the class to repeat the word "cornucopia." I said it again and again, tasted the word on my lips. I tested it on my ears. That afternoon, I skipped all the way home from school chanting, "Cornucopia! Cornucopia!" From then on, I really began listening to words—to the sounds they made, and the way they were used, and how they made me feel. I longed to put them together in ways that were beautiful, and yet told a story.
As I grew, I continued to write stories. But I never really thought of becoming an author. Instead, I went to college where I discovered yet another passion—history. I didn't realize it then, but studying history is really just an extension of my love of stories. After all, some of the best stories are true ones — tales of heroism and villainy made more incredible by the fact they really happened.
After graduation, I got married and had children. I read to them a lot, and that's when I discovered the joy and music of children's books. I simply couldn't get enough of them. With my two sons in tow, I made endless trips to the library. I read stacks of books. I found myself begging, "Just one more, pleeeeease!" while my boys begged for lights-out and sleep. Then it struck me. Why not write children's books? It seemed the perfect way to combine all the things I loved: stories, musical language, history, and reading. I couldn't wait to get started.
But writing children's books is harder than it looks. For three years I wrote story after story. I sent them to publisher after publisher. And I received rejection letter after rejection letter. Still, I didn't give up. I kept trying until finally one of my stories was pulled from the slush pile and turned into a book. My career as a children's author had begun.
I told such a good story that people always thought I was telling the truth. But I wasn't. I didn't have a three-legged cat or a ghost in my attic, and I'd certainly never been to Paris, France. I simply enjoyed telling a good story... and seeing my listener's reaction.
Sure, some people might have said I was a seven-year old fibber. But not my parents. Instead of calling my stories "fibs" they called them "imaginative." They encouraged me to put my stories down on paper. I did. And amazingly, once I began writing, I couldn't stop. I filled notebook after notebook with stories, poems, plays. I still have many of those notebooks. They're precious to me because they are a record of my writing life from elementary school on.
In second grade, I discovered a passion for language. I can still remember the day my teacher, Miss Johnson, held up a horn-shaped basket filled with papier-mache pumpkins and asked the class to repeat the word "cornucopia." I said it again and again, tasted the word on my lips. I tested it on my ears. That afternoon, I skipped all the way home from school chanting, "Cornucopia! Cornucopia!" From then on, I really began listening to words—to the sounds they made, and the way they were used, and how they made me feel. I longed to put them together in ways that were beautiful, and yet told a story.
As I grew, I continued to write stories. But I never really thought of becoming an author. Instead, I went to college where I discovered yet another passion—history. I didn't realize it then, but studying history is really just an extension of my love of stories. After all, some of the best stories are true ones — tales of heroism and villainy made more incredible by the fact they really happened.
After graduation, I got married and had children. I read to them a lot, and that's when I discovered the joy and music of children's books. I simply couldn't get enough of them. With my two sons in tow, I made endless trips to the library. I read stacks of books. I found myself begging, "Just one more, pleeeeease!" while my boys begged for lights-out and sleep. Then it struck me. Why not write children's books? It seemed the perfect way to combine all the things I loved: stories, musical language, history, and reading. I couldn't wait to get started.
But writing children's books is harder than it looks. For three years I wrote story after story. I sent them to publisher after publisher. And I received rejection letter after rejection letter. Still, I didn't give up. I kept trying until finally one of my stories was pulled from the slush pile and turned into a book. My career as a children's author had begun.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews
July 16, 2017
3.5 out of 5
A simple story with excellent pageturners, fun, rhythmic language, a sweet and very satisfying ending, and expressive Quentin Blake-like illustrations:
A simple story with excellent pageturners, fun, rhythmic language, a sweet and very satisfying ending, and expressive Quentin Blake-like illustrations:
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May 17, 2017Fun language, the repetitive refrain, and expressive artwork make this especially great for story hour...or bedtime! Clompety-stomp, peckety droop, and woddley-jog!
April 26, 2020
A simple, straightforward story of a bedtime chain reaction as everyone tries to claim their correct sleeping place. The littlest readers may get a kick out of the animal sounds, the chance for a guessing game, and the image of critters in wrong places. But grown-ups will probably find it a snooze.
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April 30, 2020Pig is ready to go to sleep, but cow is in his sty! Once cow ambles to his stall, who does he find? Of course, it’s chicken. This is a simple story with the repetition of “Go sleep in your own bed!” on each page. With each turn, there is a new animal trying to find comfort in their bed only to find another animal. Your little one will have fun trying to match the clues in the pictures up with the sounds being read to them. Enjoy this one now by checking out a copy on Mymcpl.org or searching for it on Overdrive! – Reviewed by Stephanie at MCPL Reading Rocket
June 23, 2017
Pig is ready to go to sleep, but who is that in his sty? Cow! C'mon, Cow, go sleep in your own bed. Cow reluctantly gets up, and what do you think he finds when his stall? Oh my, yes, it's Chicken. C'mon, Chicken, go sleep in your own bed.
A wonderful little cumulative story, set on the farm, that will resonate with every sleepy child, and every (tired) parent.
A wonderful little cumulative story, set on the farm, that will resonate with every sleepy child, and every (tired) parent.
September 28, 2018
Bedtime picture book featuring a farm full of animals in the wrong beds. Nice use of repetition and effective circular structure.
July 26, 2018
The animals on the farm are all ready to go to sleep, but the wrong animal is already in their bed! It ends with cat being picked up by a girl, who wants the cat to sleep in her bed.
Fun repetition of "go sleep in your own bed!" - I can see that appealing to parents :) I read it at a HUGE story time and two different caregivers asked to check it out, which basically never happens. I wish the illustrations had visual clues has to which animal is sleeping in the wrong bed, in addition to the animal noises. Also, some of the animal noises are spelled in ways I'd consider non-canonical.
Fun repetition of "go sleep in your own bed!" - I can see that appealing to parents :) I read it at a HUGE story time and two different caregivers asked to check it out, which basically never happens. I wish the illustrations had visual clues has to which animal is sleeping in the wrong bed, in addition to the animal noises. Also, some of the animal noises are spelled in ways I'd consider non-canonical.
February 26, 2018
None of the animals on the farm are in their own beds. Cow is in Pig's bed. Hen is in Cow's bed. Horse is in Hen's bed....Eventually everyone gets back to their own beds, where they belong. The expressive language, rhythmic repetition, and delightful illustrations work together to make this the perfect book for those youngsters who love to sleep in someone else's bed.
March 6, 2018
Pig starts the bed swap by tumbling into the wrong bed. Each animal in turn goes to a different bed sending that bed's owner to a new bed. In the end the dog takes the cat's bed sending him to the front porch where the little girl invites the cat to sleep with her.
February 13, 2018
It's a farm and these animals are too picky. Just sleep wherever, dummies!
September 25, 2017
Bedtime on the farm gets a little crazy when everyone is in the wrong place!
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January 11, 2020A cute introduction to barnyard animals, their structures, their sounds and the names of those sounds (e.g., wicker, cluck, etc.). Also, swear avoidance for the frustrated: "Oh, hayseeds" or "Oh, baaah-ther!"
August 8, 2019
Delightful bedtime book! Fun language and illustrations. Word and picture clues invite young ones to guess which critter is in the wrong bed each time. Repetitive, rhythmic language make this a perfect read-aloud.
December 16, 2017
Though I prefer Lori Nichols's pictures for her Maple and Willow books, I did enjoy her depiction of the creatures in this silly story about farm animals sleeping in the wrong beds. The story does kind of beat its one joke half to death, but my kids thought it was hilarious, and I can imagine the book would do well in a preschool story time. I like that it incorporates animal sounds organically into the text and that each animal also has a silly signature phrase he uses to express frustration (like the hen's "Oh fluff and feathers") and a particular onomatopoetic way of walking (such as the sheep's "trippety-slump"). A fun crowd-pleasing read-aloud with lots of opportunities for kids to interact with the text.
May 5, 2017
Predictable but fun cumulative story.
October 13, 2019
I am babysitting my nieces tonight and it is the eldest turn to choose the book for their bedtime story and she chosen this one. Go Sleep in Your Own Bed! is a children's picture book written by Candace Fleming and illustrated by Lori Nichols, which stars farm yard animals, but no one seems to want to sleep in the proper place.
Fleming's text is simplistic and straightforward. Her text is punctuated with plenty of crowd-pleasing refrains, remarks, and repetition: along with the title, each animal intruder emits a species-specific cry upon discovery and a distinctive grumble. No rationale is given for this jumbling game of musical beds, and readers won't care one bit. It is about Edward, a giraffe, who hates his neck and would do anything to hide his neck from the onlookers – until a change in perspective comes along from Cyrus, a turtle. Nichols' digitally colored ink cartoons humorously capture that distinctly after-hours sense of annoyance – there are a lot of furrowed brows and angrily pointed hooves.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Night has fallen on the farm and none of the animals wants to sleep in its own bed. Pig's plan to get shut-eye in his sty is thwarted when he discovers Cow sleeping there. Cow is admonished, but after she trudges to her stall, her derriere lands on Hen – and so it goes. The only animal who doesn’t have to settle for her assigned bed is Cat, who gets a plum spot indoors, snuggled up with her young caretaker.
All in all, Go Sleep in Your Own Bed! is a pleasant bedtime tale and effortless read-aloud, quiet children picture book.
Fleming's text is simplistic and straightforward. Her text is punctuated with plenty of crowd-pleasing refrains, remarks, and repetition: along with the title, each animal intruder emits a species-specific cry upon discovery and a distinctive grumble. No rationale is given for this jumbling game of musical beds, and readers won't care one bit. It is about Edward, a giraffe, who hates his neck and would do anything to hide his neck from the onlookers – until a change in perspective comes along from Cyrus, a turtle. Nichols' digitally colored ink cartoons humorously capture that distinctly after-hours sense of annoyance – there are a lot of furrowed brows and angrily pointed hooves.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Night has fallen on the farm and none of the animals wants to sleep in its own bed. Pig's plan to get shut-eye in his sty is thwarted when he discovers Cow sleeping there. Cow is admonished, but after she trudges to her stall, her derriere lands on Hen – and so it goes. The only animal who doesn’t have to settle for her assigned bed is Cat, who gets a plum spot indoors, snuggled up with her young caretaker.
All in all, Go Sleep in Your Own Bed! is a pleasant bedtime tale and effortless read-aloud, quiet children picture book.
May 12, 2017
I had just as much fun reading this picture book as I did the author's earlier Oh, No!, which is itself related to animals. While readers will know exactly what's going to happen as they move from scene to scene, perhaps that's part of what makes this book so delightful. As a young girl sits reading in bed and the rest of the farm gets ready for nighttime, all the farm animals head off to bed as well. But starting with Pig, each one of them is in for a surprise since in Goldilock's fashion, someone is sleeping in the wrong bed. As one animal after another rousts the interloper from its bed, the text features interjections, verbs, and phrases that fit each animal perfectly, all the way to the cat who ends up getting the best end of the deal by being invited into the house and its mistress's bed. The handsome illustrations that fit the story quite well were created with acrylic ink with a dip pen and digital coloring. Young readers who read the story on their own or who hear it read aloud will surely be asking themselves what they would have done in such a situation. Because of the language used here, the book is fun to share aloud with others, but performers would be wise to practice ahead of time.
December 22, 2017
It's bedtime on the farm, but when each animal goes to hit the hay, they find someone else already sleeping in their bed! This is a nice variation on the wealth of farm animal picture books already in existence. The prompts to guess the animal based on the sound add plenty of opportunities for audience participation. Kids will be able to chime in on the repeated line, "Go sleep in your own bed!" too. There's actually a lot of fun wordplay going on here also in relation to each animal. Grown ups might appreciate parts like the horse saying, "Oh, w-w-w-h-o-o-o-a is me" or the sheep saying, "Oh, baaah-ther!"even more than the kids! The illustrations are filled with soft blues to evoke the nighttime setting. The drawings of the animals aren't my favorite, but they're still cute and offer a lot of funny moments when we get to see their reactions to their unexpected bed-mates. I could see myself using this book for bedtime and farm animal themed storytimes, although I would probably use it for preschoolers instead of toddlers because it does get a little wordy. Parents of young kids might also be able to use this as a gently humorous take on getting used to sleeping in your own bed for the first time.
June 2, 2017
All the residents on the farm are heading for bed, starting with a little girl, “Snuggled in. Snuggled down. Bedtime on the farm.” Next, pig heads to bed, but when he plops down, “Moooo! Who do you think he found?” Turn the page and see that there is a cow in the pig’s sty. He tells the cow to “Get up.” And “Go sleep in your own bed!” thus setting off a chain of displaced animals. The animals are tired and grumpy as they go back to their own beds only to find someone else in it. Onomatopoeia-laden language begs to be read dramatically. Meanwhile, listeners have an opportunity to chime in on the repetitive refrain. They can also try to guess what animal is in the wrong bed each time using clues like the animal’s noise chicken (Bwaaaak!), horse (Naaay!), sheep (Mehhhhh!), dog (Arrr-roooof!), and cat (Meeeeooow!) and seeing a portion of the body. There is a sweet twist at the end as the animal that started all the bed-hopping is welcomed into the cuddliest bed of all. Cool blues and greens dominate the nighttime scenes, and the animals, though sleepily grouchy, are appealing.
February 25, 2018
(Picture Book)
"Go Sleep in Your Own Bed" by Candace Fleming and Lori Nichols is a cute farm-animal themed book appropriate for preschoolers that uses funny illustrations, repetition and sounds to engage kiddos. It's nighttime in the barnyard, and each farm animal is ready to bed down for the night. When they lay down, they each discover that another animal from the farm has already taken their spots! When cow lays down on chicken, she bellows, "Get up! Go sleep in your own bed!" Chicken makes some noise as she "peckety-droops" to her house, only to find a horse already there! There are sure to be lots of giggles and animal sounds as preschoolers follow along to see who ends up where in the barnyard for the night with kitty-kitty the last one to search for a warm bed. Wording includes lots of animal sounds and words that illustrate movement, such as cloppety-plod. Illustrations are charming and amusing. I like how this book will engage preschoolers in animated movement and vocalization as they listen!
"Go Sleep in Your Own Bed" by Candace Fleming and Lori Nichols is a cute farm-animal themed book appropriate for preschoolers that uses funny illustrations, repetition and sounds to engage kiddos. It's nighttime in the barnyard, and each farm animal is ready to bed down for the night. When they lay down, they each discover that another animal from the farm has already taken their spots! When cow lays down on chicken, she bellows, "Get up! Go sleep in your own bed!" Chicken makes some noise as she "peckety-droops" to her house, only to find a horse already there! There are sure to be lots of giggles and animal sounds as preschoolers follow along to see who ends up where in the barnyard for the night with kitty-kitty the last one to search for a warm bed. Wording includes lots of animal sounds and words that illustrate movement, such as cloppety-plod. Illustrations are charming and amusing. I like how this book will engage preschoolers in animated movement and vocalization as they listen!
June 15, 2017
Fleming, Candace Go Sleep in Your Own Bed! illustrated by Lori Nichols. PICTURE BOOK. Schwartz & Wade Books (Random House), 2017. $17.99.
Its nighttime on the farm, and when Pig heads to sleep in his sty he finds Cow already there. He sends Cow along to her own bed, and a chain-reaction begins as none of the animals are in their own beds. Cow sends Chicken to her bed, Chicken sends Horse to his and on and on until Cat finds a comfy place to sleep and the farm can finally settle down.
There is not much to dislike about this fun picture book. The illustrations are bit cartoon-y and the color scheme is in subdued blues, making it calming and perfect for an evening read. Animal sounds are incorporated into the simple text, and younger readers will enjoy picking out what animal was in the wrong bed each time. I think this will be a popular choice for bedtime reading.
Pre-K, EL (K-3)--ADVISABLE. Reviewer: TC
Its nighttime on the farm, and when Pig heads to sleep in his sty he finds Cow already there. He sends Cow along to her own bed, and a chain-reaction begins as none of the animals are in their own beds. Cow sends Chicken to her bed, Chicken sends Horse to his and on and on until Cat finds a comfy place to sleep and the farm can finally settle down.
There is not much to dislike about this fun picture book. The illustrations are bit cartoon-y and the color scheme is in subdued blues, making it calming and perfect for an evening read. Animal sounds are incorporated into the simple text, and younger readers will enjoy picking out what animal was in the wrong bed each time. I think this will be a popular choice for bedtime reading.
Pre-K, EL (K-3)--ADVISABLE. Reviewer: TC
May 23, 2017
At first I was disappointed that all the animals reacted with anger when they encountered another animal in their bed (rather than compassion because, hello! they were just doing the same thing). Then I realized it's a commentary on how we tend to over-react when tired and disappointed. It's a good message to remind parents how our child see our reactions and mimic them. It's also something kids can relate to and find the humor. As a parent, I'm humbled and a little embarrassed because I'm sure I over-reacted like that more than I can remember. Kids, on the other hand, see this as a joke. Together parents and kids can use this as a conversation about over-reacting. Because the little girl brings the cat into her own bed in the end, I don't see it as very useful for teaching kids to sleep in their own beds, alone.
May 15, 2017
I'm a big fan of Candace Fleming who writes at so many levels in so many different formats. She would be a great focus for an author study since kids at different levels would all be able to find something to read by her. This new effort is the perfect interactive read aloud book with a repeated line kids can chime in on as all the animals try to snuggle down in their beds and find other animals in their spaces. The book has a circular structure to serve as a model for young writers. Lori Nichols provide great expressive illustrations. This would be a great repeated reading for home and a great interactive reading for school.
August 11, 2017
It is bedtime on the farm and pig is ready for bed when he finds cow sleeping in his sty! He firmly tells her “go sleep in your own bed” and the cow departs, only to find a chicken in her stall. Each animal displaces another around the farm until at last, the cat is rousted from the doghouse and makes it way to the porch where the girl scoops her up for a bedtime snuggle. Repetition and a satisfying resolution make this lovely book just right for read aloud and easily invites audience participation. A muted nighttime palette keeps the acrylic digital illustration just as cozy as the story. Highly Recommended.
November 25, 2018
This is a humorous little story that would be a good read for kindergarten through first grade. This book is great for language development as it focuses on uses simple words. This book can also cover cross content such as science since this book has different animals. The illustrations use simple colors and are not too bright due to the story taking place at night. The illustration go along with text and are not to busy but keep the readers engaged. I was not able to find the hardcover of the book at my library but had the softcover. The softcover quality book is very flimsy and I fell like it would rip easily.
May 11, 2017
More like 2.5 stars, but I'm a cat person and so I liked the ending.
I just kind of kept wondering why it was so awful that everybody was in the wrong bed (especially with how grumpy they got when they had to move!). It seems like Pig could have gone elsewhere....but then again, it is *his* bed being invaded, so that's not the ideal solution.
Anyhow, I can see this being a hit at storytime - the problem is a silly one, and there's enough repetition that the kids would get into it. And maybe they'd be able to solve the problem faster than me!
I just kind of kept wondering why it was so awful that everybody was in the wrong bed (especially with how grumpy they got when they had to move!). It seems like Pig could have gone elsewhere....but then again, it is *his* bed being invaded, so that's not the ideal solution.
Anyhow, I can see this being a hit at storytime - the problem is a silly one, and there's enough repetition that the kids would get into it. And maybe they'd be able to solve the problem faster than me!
February 15, 2020
When each farm animal retires for the night, he finds another animal in his spot and sends it off to sleep in its own bed. This pattern book is also a guessing game as the reader predicts which animal is in the wrong bed. Robust vocabulary, humorous illustrations, and a sweet twist at the end make this a good choice for preschool and Kindergarten--especially to read aloud. Tie-in with farm study. Possible language extensions for the exploration of colorful verbs and their synonyms. Sure to become a new favorite!
March 2, 2021
Everyone is sleeping in someone else’s bed and not where they are supposed to be! It’s a bed time chain of events as one farm animal is told to go back to their bed, but their is another one in their place and they have to tell them to go back to their own bed!
Along the way the animals stomp and flap around making funny animal sounds and “cursing” in their own kid friendly way, saying things like “oh hayseeds,” or “oh, fluff and feathers”!
A cute and funny story that is great for teaching the meaning of “Onomatopoeias!”
Along the way the animals stomp and flap around making funny animal sounds and “cursing” in their own kid friendly way, saying things like “oh hayseeds,” or “oh, fluff and feathers”!
A cute and funny story that is great for teaching the meaning of “Onomatopoeias!”
September 18, 2021
Benny: 5 stars
Mom: 5 stars
It's bedtime on the farm! But everybody seems to be in somebody else's bed. So each animal gets his chance to tell their guest to GO SLEEP IN YOUR OWN BED!
This book stood out to us on the shelf because Benny recently started a phase of wanting to sleep in Mom and Dad's bed. This book is not only a fun read, but good ammunition to teach our toddler that in our house, everyone sleeps in their own bed. I particularly enjoyed the word variety (particularly verbs) in this book!
Mom: 5 stars
It's bedtime on the farm! But everybody seems to be in somebody else's bed. So each animal gets his chance to tell their guest to GO SLEEP IN YOUR OWN BED!
This book stood out to us on the shelf because Benny recently started a phase of wanting to sleep in Mom and Dad's bed. This book is not only a fun read, but good ammunition to teach our toddler that in our house, everyone sleeps in their own bed. I particularly enjoyed the word variety (particularly verbs) in this book!
June 9, 2017
A fun take on a familiar theme of someone is in your place. This time the farm animals find their friends sleeping in their places. Who will be the last animal evicted from their bed and where will they be invited to sleep. Love the various phrases used by the animals when the are evicted, the cow says, "Oh, hayseeds" and the hen clucks, "Oh, fluff and feathers." This a definite for a storytime.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews