Time for Bed Babysitter Said CL

Time for Bed, the Babysitter Said would have to top any parent's list of books not to give a preschooler who's experiencing separation anxiety. Intended as a hilarious romp, the book presents a battle of the wills between a frog babysitter and her frog charge. The menacing, overpowering babysitter is all dark, cavernous mouth; her mission is to tear her charge away from his chosen pursuits and hurl him into his dark room. In the end, the frog child gets the better of the sitter, but this point may be lost on preschoolers, who could see in this story their own worst fears brought to life. Lighthearted conflict of this sort may be pleasurable to older children, who are firmly grounded in their own identities, but this may be terrifying to younger children, for whom the book was written. Ages 2-5. (March)