The Baby Beebee Bird: A Captivating Bedtime Story About Nighttime at the Zoo for Kids

by Diane Redfield Massie, Steven Kellogg (Illustrator)

It's night time at the zoo, and all the animals are wide awake. The new baby beebee bird is keeping everyone up with his happy night song. Will they ever get some sleep?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Birds, Animals, Storytime, Fiction, Humor

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

Reviews

[John Yelverton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well done children's book which teaches the valuable lesson of treating others how you want to be treated, and showing the consequences when you don't show that courtesy.

[Marissa Elera · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s a new addition to the zoo: a baby beebee bird, who likes to stay awake at night when the rest of the zoo wants to sleep. The baby beebee bird keeps the other animals up with his incessant “beebeebobbibobbis”, before settling down to snooze when the sun comes up. The animals can’t take it! They hatch a plan to give the baby beebee bird a taste of his own medicine. They “beebeebobbibobbi” all day to interrupt the baby beebee bird’s sleep, making for a very cranky bird who gives in a decides to sleep at night like the rest of the zoo.

This book is a riot. You are guaranteed to have a few baby beebee birds show up in your crowd as they delight in their beebeebobbi calls and the zoo’s antics. Kellogg excels at animal facial expression, adding infinite character and silliness to the art. A bit of a longer text, this book would still function for some younger audience members due to its attractive repetition of the beebeebobbibobbis and familiar cast of animals.

[Shanshad Whelan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a good read for a first grade class, provided the reader is in good voice and the class is not too rambunctious. The constant "noise" of "beebee bobbi" throughout the story can get a little wearing for adults, but is generally hysterical for the kids. It probably would also work well as a book to work out some restless energy before a child winds down for bed, followed up by a calmer book. The concept is amusing and one even a young child will get--making lots of noise at night when others want to sleep is not a good idea!

[Ginny Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The baby beebee bird is a new addition to the zoo...and the other animals are annoyed! But why? The little beebee bird is so small and cute! The very first night of the beebee bird's stay, he is up all night singing his song. "Beebee bobbi bobbi! Beebee bobbi bobbi!" Will the other zoo animals ever get some sleep? All the zoo animals, from the lion to the giraffe, hatch a plan to make the beebee bird stop singing at night. With pictures by one of my favorite illustrators, Steven Kellogg, this book is great for bedtime or for any time!

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope no one combines this edition with the one illustrated by Steven Kellogg. This is the original story with the original pictures that my mother used to read to my niece whenever she stayed overnight. I used to listen too, because I enjoyed the story so much. Later, I used it with great success in story times, having a ball making the baby beebee bird's call. A few years ago it came out with new illustrations by Steven Kellogg, which are fine, but I like this version best.

[Casandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great repetitive phrase kids can repeat during storytime.
Animals
Bedtime
Birds
Zoo

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh how I would love to have the kids be the baby bird in the story while I did the dialogue of all the other animals!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The baby beebee bird keeps the zoo awake all night with his song, but bear's plan of keeping the little bird awake the next day works great. This is a fun read-aloud using a little bird puppet and letting the kids be the zoo animals, making animal noises at the beginning and keeping the baby beebee bird awake in the middle.

[Susanna Hargreaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need a laugh? This is a hilarious book about a new tiny resident in a zoo who changes everything. How can something so small make such an impact? This is the perfect book to teach collaboration, understanding, and patience. Sometimes it takes a little bit of understanding to adjust to change. I love to act out the different animal voices. The kids roll with laughter.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a zoo and the new baby bird to the zoo. The bird keeps all the other animals up at night. So the next day the other animals make noises and keep the baby bird up. Because of this the baby bird is actually tired at night. Now all the animals are awake during the day and sleeping at night.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having raised a son deemed by myself and others as a bit of a magpie and VERY early riser, I thought how much I would have loved to read this to him. Seeing the the baby bee bee bird's utterances sprawled over much of the pages, I felt the old desire to start banging my head against a wall and I swear my eye started twitching!

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

The animals at the zoo are trying to sleep, but the baby beebee bird won't stop squawking! This one is cute. A good opportunity to make lots and lots (and lots) of animal noises, and I'm sure the kids will love the fact that the baby beebee bird is SCREAMING what looks to be a hilarious sound.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A darling story about some zoo animals who are trying to help the newest bird at the zoo learn when to sing her loud, unique song and when to go to sleep! Very clever and lots of fun for kids to help "read"!

[Will O'kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids and I love almost every book illustrated by Stephen Kellogg. I also love kids books that illustrate a logical principle comedically--kind of Aesop's fable style. This book does that well. Lots of fun.

[Mae · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Fun story, but it was hard for me to read without messing up all the beebeebobibobi's!

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

My children love to read and I am so happy that there are books like this one out there that I can read to them.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book about a new bird trying to fit in at the zoo

[emyrose8 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some alliteration, but not as much as I expected.

[The Campbell Family · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun to read!

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

a new addition to the zoo stays up all night keeping the other animals awake. Can they all figure out a way to get along. Preschool and up. Super cute.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A cute bedtime tale.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoyed reading this one to Erin because of all the times I had to repeat beebeebobbibobbi! I got a kick out of the way the zoo animals re-trained the baby beebee bird, also.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The children love this book.

[Aarvik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful read for kids!

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A child in the third grade classroom I help in chose to read this aloud to me. The pictures are quite funny as the animals all decide what to do about the very loud beebee bird. It's a fun book!

[Nadina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute and funny story. The solution to the problem was very simple.
This would be a great book for teaching story structure, as well as simply for reading aloud.

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny for kids and grownups!!

[Deary Darling · Rating 5 out of 5]

*squeaking* beebeebibbibobbi! This book is so precious ... in the 24 hours since i acquired it from a 10 cent bin at a thrift shop i have inflicted this book on everyone i know lol ... and have not failed to delight. The artwork is so perfectly quirky ... the story simplistic, yet SO fun ... i cannot wait to discover more of Diane Redfield Massey's creations : ) Heck! I'd like to live in a Diane Redfield Massey world!

Beebibbibobbi!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the animals at the zoo are annoyed by the new little Beebee Bird who wants to sing all night long. When they turn the tables on him, everyone can learn a lesson about courtesy and treating others how you would like to be treated.
That's all well and good and true, but really this book is just a great excuse to be loud and have fun and make all kinds of animal noises. My story time kids are going to love it!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book for children that like to make animal noises- and silly ones at that! The new baby beebee bird at the zoo keeps all the other animals up one night with his singing, and they must hatch a plan to get him to sing during the day and sleep at night. While the illustrations aren't as wonderful as the story itself, the animals are nicely done and this is a fun read for bedtime.