Publishers Weekly
"Chickie, who bears more than a passing resemblance to a marshmallow Peep, is having abandonment fears as the lights go out. But rather than admit his anxieties, he displaces them onto his lovey, a stuffed blue bunny: 'Mother Hen! Mother Hen! Are you there? Bunny can't hear you.' After a long string of assurances from Mother Hen (whose cool, chic demeanor points to this book's French origins), Chickie is ready to call it a night — on his own terms, of course. 'You see, Bunny, Mother Hen is there,' he says as he blissfully dozes off. 'So stop worrying. Let me sleep now!' With just a few items — bed sheets, a door, a staircase — contributing to the setting, Jadoul is a minimalist, but his big, rounded shapes, thick ink outlines, forceful brushstrokes, and expanses of bright colors do more visual and emotional work than a truckload of detail. The target audience knows all too well how a bed can go from feeling cozy to lonely to cozy again, and Jadoul strikes the right balance between flattering kids' independence and acknowledging their uncertainties. "
Booklist
"Yes, this is well-traveled territory: a little one not quite ready to make a commitment to sleep. But this is so sweetly done you'll want to make room for it on the shelf. Mother Hen puts Chickie (and her small blue rabbit) to bed. The good-nights seem to cover it — until Chickie notices Mother Hen is wearing her pretty necklace. 'You're not going out, are you?' Mother Hen assures her child she's not, and Chickie tries to tell that to Bunny, with admonitions not to be afraid. But it's Chickie who worries when she can't hear Mother Hen. Then she needs to use the bathroom. Next she's scared of the dark. Finally, one last kiss does it, and the time for worrying is over; Chickie tells Bunny, 'Let me sleep now!' Everything about this is right at a preschooler's level, from the art's simple shapings, with characters and objects outlined in black, to the brief snippets of text and, of course, the realistic depictions of children's fears and feelings. A good conversation starter too, for kids just starting to converse."
Kirkus Reviews
"Who could resist a cute yellow chick wanting a little extra comfort at bedtime? Every evening Mother Hen puts Chickie and his blue Bunny to bed. Uh-oh — Chickie sees she's wearing her pretty necklace; is she going out? No, Mother Hen reassures him and blue Bunny they don't need to be afraid. But Bunny gets scared and Bunny needs to go to the bathroom and Bunny needs one last kiss. This familiar story thread of a childhood experience is charmingly told only in dialogue and with expressive, simple shapes. Distinct outlines contain boldly applied swaths of color in warm, reassuring hues for maximum toddler friendliness. The illustrations of Chickie tugging the covers up to his beak and sitting on the toilet holding his Bunny are endearing. Parents will recognize what children won't: Chickie's colloquy with Bunny is part of his own burgeoning ability to comfort himself. And what is the good-night solution that finally does the trick? 'One last kiss,' of course. This French import is a sweet dream for all parents of toddlers needing bedtime bolstering."
School Library Journal
"A warm story about a bedtime ritual common to many households. Each night, as Mother Hen puts her chick and his bunny toy to bed, the youngster worries and makes requests and calls for reassurance. Mother Hen always comforts her chick, who in turn reassures his bunny. After she bestows one final kiss for both, Chickie settles down with the words, 'You see, Bunny, Mother Hen is there. So stop worrying. Let me sleep now!' The illustrations have bold lines and colors and simplified shapes, set against generous cream-colored backgrounds that keep the focus on the three characters. Children will identify with the egg-shaped chick and empathize with his angst."
