Maisy's Bedtime

by Lucy Cousins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Category: Paperback

Age: 1-3+ years

Synopsis: The Maisy the Mouse book series hails from England and features cutesy drawings in primary colors with simple text chronicling the adventures of Maisy and her animal friends. This particular book is a lightweight paperback in which Maisy prepares for bedtime.

Bilingual benefit: In this simple story, the reader is introduced to some highly useful words and expressions in English. As Maisy is British, the book uses the British spelling for words (“pyjama” instead of the American version, “pajama”) and there are uniquely British expressions (Maisy “has a wash,” “switches off the light,” and “needs the loo”). There is also British onomatopoeia: the owl says “tuwoo.” As a native speaker of American English, I just substitute these expressions for the American versions. However, I believe it is also beneficial to expose a child to the British version of English as there are so many British English-speakers in Israel.

Availability in Israel: I found this paperback in Tzomet Sfarim in Kiryat Ono. As both Tzomet Sfarim and Steimatzky carry a large selection of Maisy books, you can probably ask them to order the book for you if you are unable to find it in one of their brick and mortar stores. In addition, the book is available for order on Amazon USA and Amazon UK.

Previewing the book: Although the book is not available for preview on Amazon USA, it can be previewed on Amazon UK. In addition, you can find several videos of people reading it out loud on YouTube. (last checked 7/10/2014)

Lil guy: A regular read.

Mama: I would buy this again and for a friend. Due to its lightness, it is also a great choice for airplane and car rides. In addition, the reference to the loo (potty, שרותים) is useful for potty-training.

See all my reviews on books available in Israel.