What do you think?
Rate this book
Not Enough Beds!: A Christmas Alphabet Book
Zachary goes through the alphabet recounting who sleeps where, from Aunt Alison in an overstuffed chair to himself under the tree, when all the relatives come to visit at Christmas.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 1999
14 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Bullard
142 books31 followersLisa Bullard is the award-winning author of more than sixty books for children, including the middle grade mystery Turn Left at the Cow. She is also the author of the how-to guide Get Started in Writing for Children. Her books for younger readers include picture books and nonfiction titles such as Trick-or-Treat on Milton Street and You Can Write a Story: A Story-Writing Recipe for Kids. Her books have won several honors, including a Children’s Choice Award, two Teacher’s Choice Awards, a Science Books & Films’ Best Books listing, a National Parenting Publications Children's Resources Silver Award, and a Storytelling World Awards Honor Title. For over fifteen years, Lisa has taught writing classes for adults and young people at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis and in a variety of other settings. Lisa is a graduate of the University of Denver’s Publishing Institute.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 28, 2014
Booklist (Vol. 96, No. 2 (September 15, 1999))
Ages 3-5. "Christmas is coming--no, Christmas is here! / And there's just one small problem / with this time of year. / When all of the family comes here to stay, / We can't go to sleep in the usual way . . . " In this lively Christmas tale, young Zachary runs down an alphabetic roster of family members and where they bed down: "So Aunt Alison snores in an overstuffed chair / while my young brother Ben stretches out on a stair. / Smart Cousin Constantine brought his own cot," and so on. Whether under the table, on the wintery porch, in the bathtub, or under the tree, the innovative characters, slightly reminiscent of those in Cynthia Rylant's The Relatives Came (1985) find wonderful, humorous ways to pass the night. Oeltjenbrun's funny illustrations make this romp through the zany household a Christmas delight.
Publishers Weekly (September 27, 1999)
A somewhat silly abecedary from a pair of newcomers features the alphabetically ordered members of a very extended family. When all 26 arrive for the holidays, Zachary recounts, in rhyme, where everyone sleeps: "Mistletoe beckons to shy Uncle Ed,/ while big Uncle Fritz makes a snow-angel bed." The pictures strive for whimsy with details like great-grandma Ursula's gaily wrapped cane and the mice who frolic at the edges of every scene, but the draftsmanship is weak. Ages 5-8. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
School Library Journal (October 1999)
K-Gr 1-A Christmas holiday is spent in a too-crowded house. There are Not Enough Beds to go around, so readers are taken through an alphabetical listing of the relatives and their accommodations. The beginning works well enough, " Aunt Alison snores/in an overstuffed chair,/while my young brother Ben/stretches out on a stair." There are lots of people who aren't sleeping. "My mom, Sally, and Tim/cause a kitchen hubbub" shows a picture of them cooking. The narrative gets a little tired, given the A-Z format, but picks up at the end: "In this Christmas Eve crowd/I'm much harder to see,/but here I am/ Zachary, under the tree!" The brightly colored illustrations have a cartoonlike, patchwork charm. Too bad there's not enough story to hold them together.-T.T.
Ages 3-5. "Christmas is coming--no, Christmas is here! / And there's just one small problem / with this time of year. / When all of the family comes here to stay, / We can't go to sleep in the usual way . . . " In this lively Christmas tale, young Zachary runs down an alphabetic roster of family members and where they bed down: "So Aunt Alison snores in an overstuffed chair / while my young brother Ben stretches out on a stair. / Smart Cousin Constantine brought his own cot," and so on. Whether under the table, on the wintery porch, in the bathtub, or under the tree, the innovative characters, slightly reminiscent of those in Cynthia Rylant's The Relatives Came (1985) find wonderful, humorous ways to pass the night. Oeltjenbrun's funny illustrations make this romp through the zany household a Christmas delight.
Publishers Weekly (September 27, 1999)
A somewhat silly abecedary from a pair of newcomers features the alphabetically ordered members of a very extended family. When all 26 arrive for the holidays, Zachary recounts, in rhyme, where everyone sleeps: "Mistletoe beckons to shy Uncle Ed,/ while big Uncle Fritz makes a snow-angel bed." The pictures strive for whimsy with details like great-grandma Ursula's gaily wrapped cane and the mice who frolic at the edges of every scene, but the draftsmanship is weak. Ages 5-8. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
School Library Journal (October 1999)
K-Gr 1-A Christmas holiday is spent in a too-crowded house. There are Not Enough Beds to go around, so readers are taken through an alphabetical listing of the relatives and their accommodations. The beginning works well enough, " Aunt Alison snores/in an overstuffed chair,/while my young brother Ben/stretches out on a stair." There are lots of people who aren't sleeping. "My mom, Sally, and Tim/cause a kitchen hubbub" shows a picture of them cooking. The narrative gets a little tired, given the A-Z format, but picks up at the end: "In this Christmas Eve crowd/I'm much harder to see,/but here I am/ Zachary, under the tree!" The brightly colored illustrations have a cartoonlike, patchwork charm. Too bad there's not enough story to hold them together.-T.T.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2010
Loved it! My kids love it! We have read it just about every night since we rented it from the library. I want to buy it. It tells where all of the visiting relatives sleep for the holidays, it does it with the ABC's. I can't even describe how cute. There are people under the miseltoe and out on the porch swing. It's great! The pictures are vibrant too! A must holiday read!
July 9, 2010
3 1/2 stars. Pretty cute book.
December 5, 2010
A cute twist on a family Christmas story. It felt very familiar!
December 16, 2011
Cute alphabet book with Christmas Theme.
December 23, 2011
reminds me of holiday trips up to see my Grandparents up north.
February 21, 2018
An alphabet Christmas story. When the whole family comes to visit for Christmas, everyone has to find their own place to sleep. Even the bathtub. Done in rhyme. Very cute.
December 25, 2015
The story isn't original but it has that warm and fuzzy feels you expect from a Christmas story, with a huge family gathering under the same roof. There aren't enough beds for everyone so of course they get creative.
I love how each family member's "bed" location also showcases their personality.
It's a cute book. I'm not a die hard fan of the movie "Christmas Vacation" but it has a little of that feel. The ridiculousness of some family members. This is definitely a book I wouldn't mind buying for my little one even though she already knows her alphabet.
I love how each family member's "bed" location also showcases their personality.
It's a cute book. I'm not a die hard fan of the movie "Christmas Vacation" but it has a little of that feel. The ridiculousness of some family members. This is definitely a book I wouldn't mind buying for my little one even though she already knows her alphabet.
July 3, 2020
A cute book about a family at Christmas and the different things they're doing during the night when there's not enough beds for everyone to sleep in. It is also an alphabet book because it goes in alphabetical order, naming every member of the family.
November 21, 2015
You could do a lot worse for a book that rhymes and features the alphabet. The detailed pictures are a nice distraction from any tedium.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews