This Book Is Not A Bedtime Story! is book happiness for ages 3-6

If you have a child who is a certain age then This Book Is Not A Bedtime Story! is one that you need to have in your forever library. The exception to this is, if you often read illustrated books aloud to kids aged three through six, then you need to have this near your reading table. This Book Is Not A Bedtime Story! is a new book as of 2021, but it’s wrapped in a timeless veneer that would make it at home in 1970 or 2060.  For us, the book was reminiscent of one that we immediately loved, Are You Scared, Darth Vader? from 2018.

Both books run with such glee and abandon that it’s all but impossible to read either of them and not be happy. The difference between the two is that one has a more hidden sense of humor with well-known characters and the other one looks at monsters and has more of a narrative presence. This Book Is Not A Bedtime Story! starts with a hulking shadow looming on the page who is warning potential readers about the gore and creeps that exist herein. On the page facing that we see a deer (or small horse), rabbit, and turtle who admit that they don’t like scary things and are wondering how scary the book will be.

A big, red-horned, stout creature enters and abruptly greets readers as the World’s Scariest Monster. It quickly shows off a litany of scary faces and shows off its identification card from the Scary Monster Society. The rabbit is quick to correct our red-horned friend that his name of ‘Terror’ was actually handwritten in the place of ‘Terry’. Astute young readers (or those reading the book to them) will also see that his scary factor is light, and his monster type is cuddly.

By this time Terry has the full attention of some other small creatures who inadvertently undermine his attempts to be scary when he’s being braggadocious. He enters a haunted house claiming that he’s going to scare the ghosts and mouse that lives in the house. One of the other creatures points out that the ‘ghost’ is actually Bobby, a friend of theirs who is simply wearing a sheet and the mouse asks the group to be quiet because it’s knitting.

All of the monsters and creatures make their way through a couple of scenes like a pirate ship, dark cave, pitch-black forest, and finally one of the spookiest places for a child, under a kid’s bed. When they get there, the moon politely points out that Terry is looking tired, to which the original three animals say that it’s bedtime and offer to tuck him in. As the scary red monster gets under the blanket he immediately goes to sleep.

We don’t usually give you the synopsis of the book here, but it’s logical where Terry the Terror and This Book Is Not A Bedtime Story! was headed, wasn’t it? The back and forth narrative where Terry is telling a story and the animals are being polite, but also asking obvious questions is utterly charming. The animals are never rude and don’t point things out in a surly way. They’re happy, supportive of Terry (even though he’s wrong), and go about their merry way, without changing how they act.

For older readers, there are obvious allegories about how and why it’s important to treat people kind, even when they’re trying to be superior to you. Blowhards, jerks, and know-it-alls are annoying and at times Terry will remind you of that co-worker or student that sometimes channels his behavior or attitude. The book teaches a lesson, but it’s very soft and concentrates on simply telling a funny, comforting story that makes you smile. Sure there’s a lesson there, but it’s really sublime and the majority of kids will simply experience the book and enjoy it as they should. Moreover, if you’re reading the book before bedtime it’s a great good-night read that they’ll ask for over and over.

This Book Is Not A Bedtime Story! is written by Eoin McLaughlin with illustrations by Robert Starling and available on Pavilion Children’s Books, an imprint of Pavilion Books Limited.

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