LocalLit review: ‘Jimmy Jonny Brownie Stays Up All Night’

I remember the first time I was allowed to stay up to 9 p.m. on a Friday night. I felt like adulthood had arrived and the world was full of endless opportunities.

I still feel that way on Friday nights.

Now many parents have kids that readily go to bed, kids that never give any trouble at bedtime. This book is not for them or their kids.

But if you have children in your life that resist letting go of the day in favor of a full night of sleep, here’s a fun book that might encourage them otherwise.

The book Is called “Jimmy Jonny Brownie Stays Up All Night” by Bing Puddlepot, the pen name for author Jonathan Bing.

Here is its Amazon description. It’s short, simple and straight to the point: “Jimmy Jonny Brownie always tries to delay bedtime as long as possible — until he learns what happens when he stays up all night one night.”

Now the ways Jimmy Jonny tries to delay bedtime in the opening pages made me smile in their subtle preachiness. I smiled because Jimmy Jonny extends the time it takes to brush and floss – because some kids actually resist doing those activities, too. So that’s a subtle way for children to understand these basic habits should be part of their bedtime routine — if they’re not already.

Eventually, the nightly battles wear down Jimmy Jonny’s parents. So when Jimmy Jonny, again, begs to stay up all night, the parents try reverse psychology and agree to their son’s “splendid idea.”

The parents go to bed. And Jimmy Jonny embarks on a series of adventures (and mishaps) since no one is awake to monitor him.

As Jimmy Jonny plays in the dark, he suddenly realizes the sun is shining through his window. Still, he’s pretty certain he didn’t fall asleep.

Unfortunately, Jimmy Jonny forgot about his playdate. And he kept embarrassing himself in front of his friend all day by falling asleep during their fun and in his food.

When bedtime again rolled around – you guessed it – Jimmy Jonny hopped into bed at the appropriate time with no prodding from Mom and Dad.

Here’s why I’ll be sharing the book with my grandkids and their parents.

One: The illustrations have a terrific, vintage kid-appeal: cartoony with creative use of color that isn’t over the top.

Two: The story is told in a simple, straightforward way through a child’s perspective.

Three: The overall premise reminds parents that the best discipline they can give a child is the gift of self-discipline. If they can train and direct their child’s inner will in positive ways, the child is more likely to grow into an independent, self-motivated adult.

“Jimmy Jonny Stays Up All Night” is out of print but available online. I bought mine on Amazon, but I found it listed on other sites, too.

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Contact Denise M. Baran-Unland at 815-280-4122 or dunland@shawmedia.com.