Bedtime for Frances (Trophy Picture Books) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Garth Williams (Illustrator) "The big hand of the clock is at 12..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's bedtime for young Frances--an adorable and irrepressible little badger--and everyone is ready but her. At 7:00 p.m. Frances is wide awake and bursting with youthful excitement. She tries every delay tactic she can muster--from demanding extra hugs and kisses to volleying a series of urgent last-minute questions ("May I sleep with my teddy bear?" "May I have my door open?"). She's almost positive there are spiders, giants, and tigers in her room.

Any parent will quickly identify with this phenomenon--how the last minutes of the day suddenly become the most action-packed. Garth Williams's illustrations complement Russell Hoban's sweet story perfectly, capturing the endless energy and overactive imagination of Frances, and the waning patience of her exhausted parents. Bedtime for Frances is the perfect goodnight story to tell your wide-eyed children. And never fear, like Frances, they too will eventually, contentedly, drift off to sleep. (Ages 4 to 8)

Review

Here is the coziest, most beguiling bedtime story in many a day. -- Kirkus Reviews, Pointer Review

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperFestival (September 29, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064434516
• ISBN-13: 978-0064434515
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #15,026 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #2 in	Books > Children's Books > Early Reader Series > Frances
  #2 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( H ) > Hoban, Russell
  #7 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( W ) > Williams, Garth

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crazy talk, January 4, 2005

By	JS (Wiesbaden, Germany) - See all my reviews

This is a great book, and brilliantly illustrated. The others in the series (like Bread and Jam for Frances) did not use the same artist and have an inferior look. The picture of Frances and her Father brushing their fangs before bed is incredibly cute, and my children think the picture of the father half awake in bed is hilarious. The original black and white illustrations are actually better and more scary-looking. Get an older copy if you can find it.
To the more hysterical people in this forum who think their children are irreparably harmed by the spanking reference: I think what you really don't like is that the father threatens a spanking without being portrayed as some horrible monster. Aren't books supposed to be about learning? Just tell your children that back when this book was written (1960) smacking kids on the butt was a fairly common form of discipline. Tell them that you think this is wrong, although some parents today disagree. If your children are still traumatized, then you better home school them, because they are simply too emotionally fragile to go out in the real world.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bedtime for Frances helps get little ones to bed, December 10, 1999

By A Customer

Frances was a classic when I was little. Now I read the same stories to my son. Whenever he keeps stalling, not wanting to go to bed I pull out Bedtime For Frances and read it to him. He smiles because so many of Frances' attempts to stay up late are so similar to his own. We don't spank, but he gets the idea that going to bed is serious business. When the story is over I ask him, "Now, what is your job?" and he closes his eyes with a sweet smile on his face. We both feel better and I can turn out the light.

26 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spanking the badger, October 16, 2004

By	Carin J. Reddig "Library Goddess" (Tehachapi, CA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Francis was my favorite as a kid - and I love her still. I think it is sad that something as completely wonderful as a Francis book has to spark controversy - but then nowadays what doesn't? Thank God I grew up in the seventies when we were still allowed to have fun, be kids and yes, occassionally, get our little badger bottoms beat if we got cheeky.
VIVA LA FRANCIS!!!