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Bedtime for Little Bulldozer

illus. by Barry E. Jackson. 40p. Holt. Mar. 2019. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781250109286.
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PreS–Imagine How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?? with a bulldozer instead of dinosaurs and you've got the gist of this book. Ah, but what a fun and funny ride it is! Little Bulldozer's father not only helps him brush his teeth, an endeavor that involves a push broom toothbrush, but also checks his fluid levels. His mother reads him a story and helps him with his bath. But when Little Bulldozer is all tucked into bed under his tool patterned blanket, he isn't sleepy at all. First he accidentally flips over the bed while checking underneath it. Crash! Then while reading his favorite story (with headlights instead of a flashlight) to his stuffed animals, he gets excited (it was a really good story) and honks his horn a few times, loudly. His parents repeatedly admonish him to go to sleep, offering him a cup of oil to quench his thirst. But it's all to no avail as Little B next attempts to see what his parents are doing and falls down the stairs in a cartoonlike fashion: "They weren't as happy to see him as he'd hoped." Back in bed again, a tired but lonely Little B scoops up his stuffed animals, trundles down the hall to his sisters' room, and finally falls asleep in a cozy nest on the floor. Jackson's hilarious illustrations are a perfect complement to Broach's text. Various visual points of view and dynamic text placement move the narrative along.
VERDICT A traditional not-ready-for bedtime story with heavy machinery, which takes it to another level. A solid purchase for most libraries.

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