Meet Fred-a mischievous, playful, loving dog. It's time for Fred to go to bed . . . but Fred really, really doesn't want to! From hiding up in trees, to splashing in muddy puddles, to hiding behind bookshelves, Fred will do anything to avoid bedtime. He would even rather have a bath than go to bed . . . but all of this running couldn't possibly have possibly made Fred sleepy-could it? Bound to strike a chord with parents and children with their own bedtime distraction techniques, Yasmeen Ismail's hilarious text and cheerful, vivid illustrations will have every reader shouting by the very last page, "Time for Bed, Fred!" PreS-Gr 1—Fred is a dog that isn't quite ready for bed. He climbs a tree, dives into a mud puddle, races out of his bathtub sopping wet, and clutches a book expectantly in his mouth. After one last ditch effort to sleep in his owner's bed, a smiling Fred is finally tucked into his own pad with a bone and ball. Ismail's illustrations are reminiscent of Norton Juster's exuberant and colorful images while Fred's antics make him a kindred spirit to Chris Raschka's Daisy. Ismail cleverly uses exclamations and rhetorical questions to liven up the familiar lets-get-ready-for-bed storyline. This book works well as a read aloud, as it begs for audience participation, and will likely become a bedtime favorite.—Jenna Boles, Greene County Public Library, Beavercreek, OH Meet Fred, the latest in a long line of irascible picture-book pooches whose misbehavior only makes them all the sweeter. The clock has struck eight, which, according to our unseen narrator, means it’s bedtime for bozos. But Fred is not really down with that. He hides in the flower bed, a tree, and a mud puddle, which means bath time—a clever delay tactic, eh? Then it’s back to hiding in a watering can, the sink, a bookshelf, the laundry basket, you name it. Ismail has channeled Chris Raschka’s work here, most explicitly the beloved A Ball for Daisy (2011). Like Daisy, Fred is illustrated in watercolors that seem to soak through the page in thick blotches and rich, saturated colors. The effect is a wonderful sense of motion; when Fred shakes off from a bath, he becomes roughly 10 thick lines of whirling fur—abstract and yet perfectly understandable. All ends well, of course, for this happy little demented doggie, just how readers (and listeners) like it. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Daniel Kraus “A perfectly designed read-aloud for the bedtime staller. A sheer delight!” ― Kirkus Reviews, starred review “Fred's eager-to-please look and the constant trouble he gets into give this the makings of a bedtime favorite.” ― Publishers Weekly “Ismail cleverly uses exclamations and rhetorical questions to liven up the familiar lets-get-ready-for-bed storyline. This book works well as a read aloud, as it begs for audience participation, and will likely become a bedtime favorite.” ― School Library Journal “Fred is illustrated in watercolors that seem to soak through the page in thick blotches and rich, saturated colors. The effect is a wonderful sense of motion.” ― Booklist YASMEEN ISMAIL is an exciting new talent in the world of picture books. Her artwork and characters are both charming and unique. She studied at art school in Dublin and has worked on a wide range of illustration and animation projects. Time for Bed, Fred! is her first picture book. Yasmeen lives in London, England.