Bedtime for Albie

All the animals know it’s time to go to sleep—except Albie! A bedtime story for everyone who wants to stay up and play.

“Bedtime? Not now!
It’s time for rolling and jumping,
sniffling and snuffling. Not bedtime!”

The sun is sinking low over the savanna, and all the animals are getting ready to go to sleep. But when Albie the warthog’s mother calls him to bed, Albie dashes off to play instead. Will the cheetahs run a race with him? Not now—they’re getting a bedtime story. Will the elephants play Splish and Splash? Not now—they’re having their bedtime shower. Will the meerkats see who can dig the deepest hole? Not now, Albie! They’re very sleepy. Albie can’t find anyone to play with, and it’s getting darker by the minute. Luckily, his mother might just have the most fun idea of all—a squishy mud bath before bed! Spirited illustrations and a relatable main character will make this story a fun addition to young readers’ own bedtime routines.Albie is a little warthog with a long snout, as well as the savannah’s bedtime outlier...Readers are treated to an unexpectedly rambunctious wrap-up, in which Albie’s pre-bed mud bath turns into a spontaneous, “gloopiest, splashiest, noisiest” community party; the watercolor and pencil drawings show happy parents and offspring kicking up their heels and making glorious splats and splatters. In other words, Albie gets exactly what he wished for—and what kid wouldn’t sleep like a log after that?
—Publishers WeeklySophie Ambrose teaches illustration to children and adults when she’s not working on her own projects. She is the author-illustrator of The Lonely Giant. Sophie Ambrose lives in London.