Bedtime Stories for People of All Ages
Ken Pietraniec
Page Publishing (2021)
ISBN: 9781662422645
Reviewed by Lydia (age 7) for Reader Views Kids (10/2021)
“Bedtime Stories for People of All Ages” by Ken Pietraniec is a good book to read any time of the day or night. The book has seven stories about kids doing things that will help other kids learn from them.
In the first story, a boy named Kenny learns about being nice to others because it makes everyone feel good, not just him when he gets something. Another story is about a girl named Gracie who wants to learn how to ride her bike, and she gets frustrated that she can’t do it right the first time. The third story is about a family and their time with other family members – this is something that I love to do when I can see my cousins. I like the fourth story because it has to do with cats, and I love cats; the story is kind of sad because a cat dies and the girl, Stella, has to learn how to deal with that with her emotions. I have some cats at home, and that will be hard for me when one of them dies. The fifth story is about a girl named Nora who wants to do something but is afraid that she’ll mess up and be embarrassed in front of her friends. I understand that story because I feel that way about doing new things, too. The sixth story is about a boy named Jose who loves to hug; if my name were Jose, this story would be about me because I love hugs from my parents! The last story is about a plant named Petunia who is nervous around people because she is afraid they will hurt her; I understand this because it is easy to step on a plant or flower accidently, or (my mom told me) pull it out thinking it’s a weed. At the end of each story are questions to think about or answer with an adult to make sure you understand what happened and how you can do the nice things in the stories.
I liked each of the stories, but also thought some of them were a little long. I am used to stories with more excitement in them, so I had to get used to these stories being slower, but they were still good! I’m not great at answering questions all the time, so I liked having my mom read me the book and then help me figure out how to answer them. My mom read the stories to me before bed, which I liked since none of them were scary or bad in any way. “Bedtime Stories” was a good book for me and my 5-year-old brother, so I think that kids around his age to a little older than me will like this book.
A Note from Mom: “Bedtime Stories for People of All Ages” is an appropriate book for kids of any age. The values and morals that the author portrays among the characters are vital for the wellbeing of the next generation to treat each other with kindness and respect. Society as a whole has been going down the hole regarding respect, kindness, caring, or any positive attribute; if kids can learn how to behave in a kind way, and then parents learn by reading to their kids, we may see a slight change for the better around us.
One response
What a great review from Lydia! It was good to hear how she “identified” with each of the stories. She really listened! And good to hear that her mom reads to her each night – and that they have such valuable discussions. This book is a great catalyst for just this thing!