I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Can I Sleep in Your Bed Tonight? is an illustrated picture book for children told in a rhyming format.
Unfortunately this book fell very flat for me and wasn't what I thought it was going to be at all.
The rhyming starts out well but goes a little disjointed, and the illustrations were more anime taking away the cosiness and nostalgia this book had the potential to have. I also didn't like the fact the mother told two of the children to change their pyjamas and sleep on the floor in their room because they had wet the bed. This was quite shocking to me as a mother and portrays neglect. I also didn't like that the father left the mother to deal with everything, then stomped off angrily to sleep on the couch. It could have ended better, such as them all snuggling up together to ride out the thunderstorm.

This one was not for me. The communication between parents and children was not ideal, the conclusion was the worst scenario. I would expect the book to have helped the kids go sleep by themselves, parents to talk to their kids with some love and understanding, even though it was the middle of the night. The husband was completely pointless of what was going on. It feels that the mother wanted to get rid of the kids and got them all back at the end, like a punchline, but there was no joke. No lesson, not enjoyable.

Definitely a successfully rhymed narrative, this is a picture book that would more suit the knowing parent than the child. It concerns a family where all the kids in turn interrupt their parents' slumbers demanding the chance to sleep in with them for the night. One by one (or two by two, with the case of the twins) they ask, and one by one they're turned away, until…

With the artwork looking a touch AI but probably too good for that (too much consistency between frames, principally) and a bit Saturday morning Japanese-made cartoon, this is a bright, colourful thing. But I still feel it falls between two stools – not really brilliant for the kids, and just an arch, knowing whimsy for the passing adult. Mothers will nod at it, especially, for the realism of it and the attendant gender balance, but I see few who would keep this on the shelf for a repeat visit. Three and a half stars.

I really enjoyed the anime-style artwork—it’s expressive, fun, and captures the chaos of parenting in such a relatable way. The book absolutely nails the relentlessness of having kids, especially the sleep deprivation that seems to start at birth and never quite ends—even when they’re older.

That said, I did find myself frustrated by the portrayal of the mother as the one solely responsible for dealing with the kids while the dad sleeps peacefully. It leans into a stereotype that, while sadly common in real life, feels a bit tired in storytelling. I would’ve loved to see a more balanced depiction of parenting.

As for the audience, I’m not entirely sure who this is for. I wouldn’t read it to my own children—my oldest is two—but maybe when he’s older? Still, it reads more like a children’s book for adults. I definitely related to it as a parent, but I’m not sure a child would find it especially engaging on their own.

Thank you so much for the ARC!

**Review: *Can I Sleep In Your Bed Tonight?***
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars)

When I picked up *Can I Sleep In Your Bed Tonight?*, I had absolutely no idea it was a children’s book — that’s on me for skipping over the genre! I went in expecting something entirely different, and finished the whole thing in under 10 minutes.

At first, I was genuinely confused. I found myself asking, “Wait, what is this?” But then I took a step back and realized — for what it is, it’s sweet, cozy, and absolutely perfect for young readers. The story is simple and comforting, and I can totally see it being a favorite bedtime pick for kids. The illustrations are adorable, and the message is gentle and reassuring.

So while it wasn’t what I expected at all, I can’t deny it would be a hit with its intended audience. Definitely one for parents, guardians, or educators to share with little ones — they’ll likely love it.

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I greatly liked the rhyming scheme; it made this a quick read. The art was refreshing.
Good, attentive parents always keep an open hand for their kids whenever needed.
If the author wanted to share the shenanigans kids pull to sleep with their parents?
This was a good one. If not, then the parents had a dismissive tone.
I'll assume the parents were aware of these tactics!
Overall, it came off as a book with comedic undertones, and I'm sure parents will share a laugh or two while reading this.

I thank Holzer Books LLC for providing me with an eARC of 'Can I Sleep in Your Bed Tonight' through NetGalley.
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This book just was not for me. As a children's librarian, I read a lot of books. There are rhymes, sure. The illustrations are colorful. The interaction of the mother towards her children was not great, and the father getting upset when the children were scared and wanted to come in the bed rubbed me the wrong way as well.

Thank you to Holzer Books LLC and NetGalley for a digital ARC copy in return for a honest opinion

I thought this was going to be a sweet little bedtime story book...

Unfortunately I have a few problems with this book. The illustrations are ok but not great. The font is completely unsuitable for a young child to be able to read, or to even follow along with when an adult is reading it to them. It's far too curly a script for children to recognize the letters clearly.
I know the author is American but rhyming 'hands' with 'pants' is a bit of a stretch, even with an American accent. Having said that, Sahar does have a background in music where you can get away with more slant rhymes than you can on the page.
The actual story is the most problematic for me. I'm not ok with the messaging in this book aimed at a young audience. Showing the children automatically waking Mum up but not Dad during the night, showing Daddy going off and leaving Mummy to deal with all the kids in their bed on her own, while he swans off to get a more restful sleep and last but not least, Mummy's response to the twins. Telling children to sleep on the floor who have wet the bed is NOT acceptable in any circumstances and could lead to bigger problems later on. Normalising unhelpful stereotypes in childrens literature does not sit well with me.

#CanISleepinYourBedTonight #ChildrensLiteratuer#NetGalley

This book was not a favorite for me. For starters, I feel that the illustration style of the front cover was misleading. The illustration style inside the book is an anime-type style. The font used for the text inside the book is a cursive font that may be difficult for young children to attempt to read. The storyline was humorous but felt unrealistic or inappropriate occasionally. (i.e. telling children who wet the bed to change pajamas and sleep on the floor.) I don't know that I would recommend this book to parents or children.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eARC.

This is a strange one... The rhyming is very impressive! But the story feels... off? There are some things said by the parents that gave me a bit of an ick. The art, however, is enjoyable.

I'm not sure if I recommend this one. Not for young kids at least.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 2 stars ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

to be honest, i wouldn't really call this a childrens' book, the story seems more for the parents. also, if it's a childrens' book, the font might be a little bit difficult for them to read because it's cursive. the rhymes were fun though, so i guess children might enjoy that. the illustrations in this book were done in an anime style, and in my opinion, that doesn't really fit the vibe of a kids book. and one more thing i'd like to mention, that i've seen others mention, is that there are negative messages. the mother in the book told her kids to sleep on the floor after peeing the bed, and the father in the story was just unbothered and left the responsibilities to the mother. this had so much potential, but the execution was just not it unfortunately.

˗ˋˏ ୨୧ thank you to NetGalley, Holzer Books LLC, and Andreas Sahar for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review! ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

I found this one pretty funny, from a parent's perspective, but I wouldn't call it a childrens' book. The illustration style being in anime was a fun change of pace though and it was very realistic (especially the father...)

As a mom myself I resonated with the mom in this story, but I think that might be the problem. It’s a children’s book but it is definitely written more so as satire for parents than a story for children. I think for the age that this is geared towards, it would either go right over children’s heads or send the message that when they pee their bed or they are terrified they are being a burden. It also kind of places dad in a negative light towards the end of the book like he’s dumping everything on mom. Again, if this was written as a poem for moms it would be funny and something we can all relate to. Unfortunately I think the author was directing her writing to the wrong audience since it’s a children’s book.

I received an electronic ARC from Holzer Books LLC through NetGalley.
This ebook captures family nighttime life. Every one of the kids comes in to ask Mom if they can sleep with them in their bed. She is kind but firm and sends them all back to their own beds. Meanwhile, Dad sleeps through it all. A thunderstorm brings everyone back to be together and Dad finally wakes up and leaves. Humor for adults and children alike. The rhythmic text helps readers connect to the action. I love mom's eyes and expressions as the book progresses.

It starts off well with the rhyming pattern and everything. But then it becomes a bit odd. It is like a picture book written with rhymes for adults. it is not quite a book for kids. The illustration is cute but bland, lacking in uniqueness. I love the story because it makes me chuckle but I am an adult and I can't picture reading this to children. Sorry.

The story starts off well, and I enjoyed the rhyming! Certain things, like asking the kids to manage on their own after an accident in bed, felt odd. The art is really good, but I think it didn't completely match the theme and story. I think choosing a less curvy font would've made the reading experience better. The theme and writing is very relatable but it felt a little extreme at a few points. It also would've been nice to see the father also help out the mom. Overall, it was a good read, but I believe it could've been much better!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Can I Sleep In Your Bed Tonight?" is a charming children's book written in rhymes. It tells the story of kids getting scared and wanting to sleep in their parents' bed. The artwork is done in an anime style, which isn't my favorite for children's books, but the story is sweet and relatable for many families.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very cutely drawn book with a rhyme about all the reason that a child may want to sleep in you bed. This highlights to a child who is reading it that they do not need to be doing this and then at the end due to a storm they end up sleeping in the bed. This is done in such a way that children on younger ages will understand and also enjoy the illustartions

This is surely something every parent has heard whispered to them in the night. Every parent surely has handled it differently. I honestly wasn't as taken with this as I'd expected to be despite the lovely illustrations and dreamy colors. First, an admission. I really, really wanted to just give good ol' Dad a shove off that bed for both his lack of helpfulness, leaving it all to Mom to handle, and my jealousy of him being able to fall back asleep in practically the blink of an eye. Even the mother, while relatively patient, didn't seem to put much effort into how she handled the situation.

If anything, while it's easy to give her a break for probably being exhausted and wanting desperately to sleep herself, she didn't seem to offer any soothing words or suggestions other than go back to bed. Dad continued to sleep through most of the interruptions, mind you, only going into action when a storm struck and the dogs' barking joined the pleas of the frightened children. They're adorable, by the way, and there are even a pair of twins. In any case, Dad's solution was to simply grab a blanket and pillow and move to the couch, in essence leaving Mom to deal with the children in the now roomier space of the bed. Can you tell I was disappointed by both?

Bottom line, while I'm sure this could open a conversation between children and parents of how the situation could have been better handled, I didn't really enjoy the story. The rhyming text was relatively well done, however, and, as noted, the illustrations had a bit of a dreamy feel to most of them with the night colors and subtle soft hues. And, much as I hate to admit it, the situation is probably rather realistic. Children get frightened or even bored at night frequently and seek the comfort of their parents. I just wish there had been more of a gentle, positive handling of the situation, albeit, as noted, I can see this being used as a means to open a dialogue between not just parents and children but between the parents. Thanks #HolzerBooks for giving me this early peek at the book and life in many homes with small, restless children.

I thought this would be way more wholesome. When I was little I hated sleeping alone and was curious about this story. The mom just sound exasperated (which is fair, she’s tired) but telling your kids who peed their bed to just sleep on the floor is odd to me. Even worse, in my opinion, is the dad is so unhelpful.