Little monster : Ten minutes to bed by Rhiannon Fielding and Chris Chatterton

Ladybird Books, 2018. ISBN: 9780241348918.
(Age: 3-6) Recommended. Little monster : Ten minutes to bed is a beautiful series by Rhiannon Fielding and Chris Chatterton, aimed at young children at bedtime. Each book follows a similar progression where the main characters parent/family member counts down the minutes to bedtime while the main character flits around doing lots of fun things before bed. The books are all based on mythical type characters and are whimsical in nature.
Each book has a map at the beginning (daytime) and end (night-time) of the book showing 'The land of Nod' which young children can engage with, finding the home of the books character and also the homes of the other two in the series (Little Mermaid and Little Unicorn).
This book tells us of the antics of Belch, a cheeky little monster who does not want to go to bed. She eats jelly, plays with toys and then is joined by her monster friends for a quick play before she has had enough and wants to go to bed. I like that this book helps to make monsters seem funny, cheeky, a little cranky but also not very scary!
This book would be good for children who may find the concept of monsters scary, or a bit unnerving.
We loved the illustrations of Belch; she is a cheeky looking monster with big eyes and rosy cheeks. The other monsters are a rather amusing, helping to make them more funny than scary!
I give Ten minutes to bed : Little Monster 4/5, suitable for young children up to age 6. It is one of a 3 book series, all of which are equally as great!
Lauren Fountain