One Ted Falls Out of Bed

This is a counting book by the author of The Gruffalo, and our high expectations are rewarded. The story is in the cosy world of the bedroom, but it’s night time when scary things can happen. Ted falls out of bed, even though he clutches at the bedclothes. Three mice take him for adventures round the bedroom with the assembled toys. The story is told in rhyme: ‘They sip some tea with six kind dolls, And have a fight with seven trolls.’ Ted is a reluctant guest, and really wants to get back to bed, but he has to build a stairway with the bricks, which fall over and everything crashes down. The child wakes up enough to grab Ted from the floor and scoop him back to bed. Aaah! The story has layers of emotional ups and downs, and the counting is complex. We have to scrutinize the page to find a full set of dolls or trolls or frog musicians. The illustrations are endearing, with great depth and feeling: atmosphere oozes from the page.