Huddle Up! Cuddle Up!
by Bethany Hegedus (Author) Michael Deas (Illustrator)
The countdown to bedtime has begun. If you want to snooze, you can't lose in this football/bedtime mash-up!
It's Sunday night, football night, and the countdown clock to bedtime is winding down. Will the Dream Team be able to get to bed on time? First there's the pre-game warm-up in the bath, then it's time to get suited up in pajamas, and don't forget your fancy footwork. After some interference from the family dog and a full-counter sweep of the kitchen, it's time to huddle up and cuddle up for a bedtime story time-out!
Award-winning author Bethany Hegedus shows how football time equals family time in this hilarious twist on the bedtime ritual. Young football fans will finally want to huddle up and get ready for bed because sleep time has never been so much fun!
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Kirkus
School Library Journal
K-Gr 2—A fun, football-loving family ends their weekend with a raucous routine, similar to the antics in Friday Night Wrestlefest. Two biracial children and their parents (dad is white, mom is Black) come home from the big game on a Sunday night and extend the play by making a game of cleaning up and bedtime prep. In a combination of an announcer's calls and speech bubbles, they dive into bath time, spin through the laundry, and launch into bed, all before the clock runs out. Lively brush pen and watercolor illustrations, similar to those of Matthew Cordell, are loose and light. The family, including a shaggy black dog, make up the focus of the pages. What little decor appears in the home is humorously football-driven (ball-themed wallpaper, playing field bathmat, etc.). Fans with high attention to detail may recognize the light blue jerseys and the name on the dog's bowl ("Marino") as associated with the Miami Dolphins. While the family is completely in love with the game, the illustrations carefully yet subtly show that they are not single-minded. In the end, after a "story time-out," the parents whisper what is surely a nightly refrain: "Open hearts. Closed eyes. Night. Night." VERDICT An interesting take on the sports theme, this playful romp, with a family genuinely delighting in one another's company and celebrating their love of the game, will be popular in picture book collections.—Clara Hendricks, Cambridge P.L., MA
Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
Bethany Hegedus is an award-winning author of picture books and middle-grade novels, including Grandfather Gandhi and Alabama Spitfire. A former educator, she teaches widely and enjoys mentoring young writers. Hegedus is owner and creative director of the Writing Barn, a writing workshop and retreat center. She lives with her family in Austin, Texas. You can find her online at www.bethanyhegedus.com.
Tonya Engel is a self-taught painter and children's book illustrator, including the pictures for Our Lady of Guadalupe and the jacket art for Hurricane Child. Her work is inspired by southern folk artists. Early in her career she explored abstract painting, but soon began to concentrate on figurative form mixed with emotion and expressionistic narrative. This art style was the perfect complement to Maya Angelou's lyrical storytelling. Engel lives in Houston, Texas. You can see more of her work at www.tonyaengel.com.
JUV013000 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | General
JUV032030 - Juvenile Fiction | Sports & Recreation | Football
Picture books
Families
Football stories
Football
