KIRKUS REVIEW
A little boy who loves the subway tries to delay going to bed in this children’s picture book.
Sammy, a Caucasian child, is proud of knowing the New York City subway system’s different lines and stations. He loves riding the train and pretending to be the conductor. “But one thing Sammy does not like is BEDTIME,” says the book emphatically, and after Sammy gets into his pajamas, he tries to put off sleep by asking his parents for subway rides to exciting destinations, including Grand Central Station, the Bronx Zoo, and Coney Island. To all requests, his smiling parents give him the titular response. He finally agrees to sleep when his dad promises that “tomorrow we can ride any train you want...just not in your pajamas!” Debut author Spiegel offers a classic resisting-bedtime scenario with the repetition, gentle humor, and reassurance that kids appreciate. Children unfamiliar with subways in general or the New York system in particular may not get as much out of it, but textual clues and illustrations help fill things out: why Grand Central, for example? “I love to see all the people rushing to the big Metro-North trains!” explains Sammy. Mattucci and Lewis’ illustrations are colorfully child-friendly but with an urban sophistication that will appeal to adults.
A charming, comforting book in the popular go-to-sleep category.
