The Lots-of-Time Machine

by Paulette Bogan, Paulette Bogan (Illustrator)

Overview

Step inside the lots-of-time machine, where everyone has lots of time to play—and love to share—in this charming picture book.

Fifi the raccoon is trying desperately to get her family to play with her. But everyone is too busy, busy, busy! What’s a girl to do? Together with her dog, Felix, Fifi comes up with an idea—one that will bring them all together and give them lots of time to play: it’s a lots-of-time machine! But what happens when Fifi’s brilliant idea doesn’t go quite as planned? Can Fifi and her family find a way to be busy…together? Find out in this endearing and relatable family story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781662518584
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	07/02/2024
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	855,129
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD420L (what's this?)
Age Range:	2 - 7 Years

About the Author

Paulette Bogan is an author and illustrator of many beloved children’s books. She wrote and illustrated Virgil & Owen, a recipient of a Mom’s Choice Award Gold Medal for Picture Books, and its sequel, Virgil & Owen Stick Together, as well as Goodnight Lulu, Lulu the Big Little Chick, Bossy Flossy, and more. She is the illustrator of the picture books Chicks and Salsa and Buffalo Wings, both written by Aaron Reynolds, and The Unsinkable Gus Davis, written by Laurie Trumble Davis. She lives in New York City with her family. Learn more at www.paulettebogan.com, and follow her posts on Instagram @paulettebogan123.

Editorial Reviews

2024-05-04
No one has time to play with Fifi.

In her tutu and crown, a young raccoon named Fifi tells her dog, Felix, that she needs someone to play with. She asks various family members, but everyone’s too busy. Momma’s fixing the plumbing, Peapaw’s doing yoga, and Daddy’s cooking. Poor Fifi. Felix wants to play fetch, but Fifi has other ideas. She and Felix steal something from each adult and build a Lots-of-Time Machine in the backyard out of boxes and blankets. When she and Felix trick the adults into joining them in the yard, Fifi tells them it costs 10 minutes to enter the machine, where they can play games and read stories together. When Felix accidentally pulls down the machine, Fifi helps Momma and Daddy with their chores while Peapaw builds a new tent for play in the yard. Though the ultimate message is that family time is the best time, readers may wonder why the young protagonist ignores a perfectly good playmate in her puppy, and the Lots-of-Time machine doesn’t really make sense even with toddler logic: It’s unclear why the adults suddenly have time for Fifi or why they aren’t frustrated that she’s taken items that belong to them. The illustrations, rendered in watercolor and digital media, are serviceable, but the oddly football-headed raccoons seem out of place against the backdrops.

Readers needn’t make time for this one. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews