Forty Winks: A Bedtime Adventure

by Kelly DiPucchio, Lita Judge (Illustrator)

Overview

Forty Winks is a rollicking bedtime read-aloud picture book about a family of mice, from New York Times bestselling author Kelly DiPucchio and award-winning illustrator Lita Judge.

“It’s time for bed!” the Wink parents said.
Their routine was the same every night.
Mama and Papa lined up their big brood,
all thirty-eight children in sight . . .

When the sun sets on this mouse family’s house, it’s the start of a bedtime routine for the ages! Come along as all 38 Wink children have snacks and baths, brush their teeth, read stories, and finally, finally settle down to sleep.

This rollicking, rhyming story from the award-winning pair Kelly DiPucchio and Lita Judge is the perfect read-aloud for parents and their wiggly little ones to share before bedtime.

“The book’s plentiful pleasure comes from being in the presence of a wonderfully rendered family that lives and loves large.” —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

“With the soothing rhythm of an old-time nursery rhyme, alliteration, and end and internal rhymes, this makes for a fun read-aloud . . . A fun twist of a familiar phrase and a delightful new bedtime tale.” —Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419745522
Publisher:	Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	10/26/2021
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	487,279
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kelly DiPucchio is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 30 books for children, including Gaston, Grace for President, and Super Manny Stands Up! DiPucchio works from home in her snug fuzzy flannels in Michigan, where she lives with her small brood. She likes mice but prefers the illustrated kind.

Lita Judge is the award-winning author and illustrator of many children’s books, including Flight School, Red Sled, Born in the Wild, and her illustrated young adult novel, Mary’s Monster. She lives with her husband, three cats, and a parrot in New Hampshire. She also shares her woodpile with a large family of mice.

Editorial Reviews

★ 08/02/2021

For the Winks, a family of 40 mice—two parents and 38 kids, each one named by DiPucchio (Not Yeti)—bedtime is adorably unwieldy. Their routine, conveyed in rollicking verse, doesn’t vary: “The loud, hungry pack was served up a snack/ of cider and crumb cakes and cheese,” before every mouse gets a scrub, dons pajamas, and brushes their teeth. Finally, “they were each read a book (what a long time that took!)” by the big stone fireplace—in one of Judge’s (The Wisdom of Trees) more inviting pencil and watercolor scenes, mice cover every inch of the floor and furniture, hanging on Mama’s every word. Finally, the mouselings are corralled and tucked into a fanciful panoply of beds, including a circus tent bed as well as airplane and balloon beds suspended from the ceiling. Do the grown-ups lose their temper when one thirsty little child sets off a 38-mouse run to the sink? Papa does say “Oh dear!” but the two adults are otherwise the very picture of parental equanimity. At book’s end, readers are invited to name all the little mice—but if they can’t recall who is who, it’s no matter; the book’s plentiful pleasure comes from being in the presence of a wonderfully rendered family that lives and loves large. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"A sweet new picture-book adventure. . .Judge lends whimsical pencil-and-watercolor illustrations to the tale, depicting a nighttime regimen that many kids will recognize."

Booklist

**STARRED REVIEW**
"With the soothing rhythm of an old-time nursery rhyme, alliteration, and end and internal rhymes, this makes for a fun read-aloud... A fun twist of a familiar phrase and a delightful new bedtime tale."—Kirkus Reviews

**STARRED REVIEW**
"The book’s plentiful pleasure comes from being in the presence of a wonderfully rendered family that lives and loves large."—Publishers Weekly

"A sweet new picture-book adventure. . .Judge lends whimsical pencil-and-watercolor illustrations to the tale, depicting a nighttime regimen that many kids will recognize." —Booklist

From the Publisher

★ 2021-08-18
You thought your family’s bedtime rituals were complicated! Meet Mama and Papa Wink—and their 38 young mouselings.

The elder Winks share parental duties. First, they rustle up a bedtime snack. “Some sipped and some slurped, / some gobbled and burped, / while others said ‘thank you’ and ‘please.’ ” Bathtime and “snug-fuzzy flannels and caps” come next, then “every small Wink scamper[s] off to the sink, / brushing and flossing in pairs.” The text relates that “they were each read a book (what a long time that took!).” It takes so long that Mama reads “ ’til she snooze[s] a wee snore.” After prayers, “some curled with blankies / (a few had the crankies), / but each babe was tucked in just right.” Until…Moe squeaks for a drink, and then, of course, all 38 need one last cup of water. Finally, in a series of illustrations of adorable, snuggling mice abed, the 40 Winks sleep, and sleep, and sleep until “It’s time to start over again!” With the soothing rhythm of an old-time nursery rhyme, alliteration, and end and internal rhymes, this makes for a fun read-aloud. Detailed illustrations capture the energy of this busy family, and clothing choices, postures, and expressive faces make each of the 40 Winks distinctive—so much so that, on the last spread, the challenge to name each unlabeled Wink is achievable. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A fun twist of a familiar phrase and a delightful new bedtime tale. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews