This year’s April Poetry Month cannot be celebrated correctly without including today’s book, One Minute Till Bedtime. This unique book contains the poetry of dozens of children’s poets. All were invited by former Children’s Poet Laureate Kenn Nesbitt. If storytime still means bedtime reading in your house, consider adding One Minute Till Bedtime to your bedtime story collection.

One Minute till Bedtime: 60-Second Poems to Send You off to Sleep
Written by Various Poets
Selected by Kenn Nesbitt
Art by Christoph Niemann
Little Brown and Co.  11/01/2016
978-0-3163-4121-9
176 pages    Ages 4—8

Junior Library Guild Selection

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“Former Children’s Poet Laureate Kenn Nesbitt presents a blockbuster collection of brief, original gems by the most beloved writers and poets of our time. Illuminated with dreamlike wit and whimsy by New York Times illustrator and award-winning artist Christoph Niemann, here is a new bedtime classic.

“Containing more than 140 original contributions, including all-new poems from Jack Prelutsky, Jon Scieszka, Dennis Lee, Sharon Creech, Nancy Willard, Mary Ann Hoberman, Nikki Grimes, Judith Viorst, Lemony Snicket, Lee Bennet Hopkins, Naomi Shihab Nye, X. J. Kennedy, Jane Yolen, and many more, bedtime just got easier.

“When it’s time for tuck-in, and your little one wants just one more moment with you, fill it with something that will feed the imagination and fuel a love of reading. Share a one-minute poem!” [PUBLISHER WEBSITE]
Review
[WC 254]
Former Children’s Poet Laureate, Kenn Nesbitt collected poems from over 120 children’s poets, including a few children’s authors who love to dabble in poetry, such as Lemony Snicket. One Minute Till Bedtime is broken into six sections, each starting with a Kenn Nesbitt poem, for 164 poems. Whew, that is lot of poetry, beginning with Kenn Nesbitt’s Whew!

Whew!

“Finished dinner.
Cleared my plate.
Took the trash out.
Shut the gate.
Hand a bath and
brushed my teeth;
those on top
and underneath.
Telephoned
my gramps and grandmas.
Changed into
my soft pajamas.
Fluffed the pillows.
Got my Ted.
Said my prayers.
Climbed in bed.
All that’s done;
at last I’m freed.
Finally,
it’s time to read.”

A poem takes about a minute to read, fast enough for a bedtime read, or for a child to ask for one more and the parent having the time to oblige. Many of the poems entertain with word play, some are nonsense, others sheer whimsy. What characterizes all of these poems is their fun, engaging nature and Christoph Niemann’s line drawings, which complement the color of each section.
Kindergarten teachers might be interested in this eclectic collection for naptime, but otherwise this fantastic collection of bedtime poems belongs squarely with families. Parents can instill a love of poetry early in their child’s life, when it is most likely to have staying power. One Minute Till Bedtime will become a treasured family edition for those who purchase this one-of-a-kind poetry jam made especially for that treasured reading time: bedtime.

ONE MINUTE TILL BEDTIME: 60 SECOND POEMS TO SEND YOU OFF TO SLEEP. Text copyright © 2016 by Kenn Nesbitt. Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Christoph Niemann. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Little, Brown and Co., New York, NY.

Amazon—Indie Books—Apple Books—Little, Brown and Co.

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Add ONE MINUTE TILL BEDTIME to Your Goodreads Shelf HERE.

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Illustrations from ONE MINUTE TILL BEDTIME by Kenn Nesbitt, copyright © 2016 by Christoph Niemann Used with permission from Little Brown and Co./Hachette Publishing Group

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Copyright © 2016 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

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One Minute Till Bedtime: 60-Second Poems to Send You off to Sleep
Written by Various Poets
Selected by Kenn Nesbitt
Art by Christoph Niemann
Little Brown and Co. 11/01/2016
9780316341219

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