A Monstrous Bedtime by Kerilynn Wilson (The Faint of Heart) offers a tender and comically off-kilter look at bedtime routines and how they unravel when a monster needs help falling asleep, too. A child is tucked in by loving adults with a comforting routine and the familiar refrain: "Close your eyes. Time to sleep." But when the grown-ups leave, a shadowy octopus-shaped monster sniffling under the bed confesses it can't sleep either. In an imaginative role reversal, the child repeats each step of the bedtime routine--water, fan, story, song--but with chaotic results. A cup of water leads to a soaked kitchen floor, a whirring fan nearly sends the monster flying, and the stories and song are far too exciting, sending the family cat scrambling out of the room. In a sweet final act of care, the monster carries the now-sleepy child back to bed, where they start the routine again. This time, it works.
Wilson's illustrations balance warmth and mischief. A palette of cool blues, warm coppers, and pinks evokes both nighttime calm and the energy of play. The monster, all round limbs and dot eyes, stays on the gentler side of scary, and comic-style speech bubbles keep the tone breezy. Repetition in the text gives the story a gentle rhythm, even as the visuals spiral into delightful disorder.
With playful details, like the cat, surrounded by mess and stuck wide awake under a copy of The Magical Art of Tidying Up, A Monstrous Bedtime is a cozy, subversively funny look at the comforts of bedtime, the bonds of care, and the joy of making a mess on the way to sleep. --Julie Danielson