MEET THE AUTHOR
Sharon Giltrow writes humorous picture books and adventure-filled chapter books. She lives in Perth, Western Australia with her husband, two children, a tom cat and a miniature dog.
Sharon’s debut picture book is available in May 2020. Today we’re chatting to Sharon about Bedtime, Daddy!, which is illustrated by Katrin Dreiling.
From the publisher:
Have you ever tried to put Daddy to bed? It can be hard work! Full of heart and humour, Bedtime, Daddy! is for anyone who wants to try putting their grown-up to bed.
You wrote the text for Bedtime, Daddy! and Katrin Dreiling is the illustrator. Do the illustrations match the story you had in your head when you were writing the book?
Katrin Dreiling has done a fantastic job. I was very happy and excited when I saw her first sketches.
EK Books (the publisher) asked her to do sketches of people and bears. When I first wrote Bedtime, Daddy! I pictured the characters as people, so I was very surprised when the publisher suggested bears. However, when Anouska – the editor – explained that bears would make a more universal family, I agreed. The rest of the illustrations match the story perfectly. Placing Daddy Bear in the office for the first page spread was Katrin’s idea. 😊 I only had one illustration note which was for the last page … but I don’t want to spoil the ending.
Favourite pyjamas to wear today vs favourite pyjamas to wear when you were a kid?
My favourite pyjamas as a kid were actually nighties and I used to keep them in a zippered pyjama bag which was a bit like this one. 
Now as Mummy Bear (aka: Bedtime Mummy!), my favourite pyjamas are my new dinosaur pyjamas. They are also Daddy Bear’s favourite pyjamas and my children have dinosaur pyjamas too.
Did you like to try to delay bedtime when you were a kid?
Most definitely! I was the youngest of eight children so my parents were a little more relaxed about bedtime. So, I used to fall asleep on the couch and my dad would carry me to bed. SShhhh!!! Don’t tell my children.
Can you tell us a bit about the book you’re working on next?
Well, my next book, which I hope will be published soon is called … Get Ready, Mummy! A sequel to Bedtime, Daddy! and you guessed it, it’s about how to get a mummy ready for the day. It starts with the line: ‘When you see your mummy roll over and open her eyes, announce, ‘Get Ready, Mummy!’
Do you have a tip for kids who would like to try writing a picture book themselves?
Be open to ideas. Ideas are all around you. Keep a notebook to write your ideas in. Once you have an idea, brainstorm it and then start writing. Don’t try and get it perfect the first time. Writing is like any skill it just takes practice. You can do it! Also, read lots of books!
AWESOME EXTRAS:
Watch the book trailer for Bedtime, Daddy!
Click here for Teachers’ Notes
Click here for a sneak peek inside the book
Visit Sharon Giltrow’s website to learn more about her and her books.
***WIN a copy of Bedtime, Daddy! ***
This competition has now closed and the winner has been contacted by email.
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Love this book! My best tactic is that I must write my things to do list for the next day!
And there are always SO many things to get done! 🙂
I love a good to do list – get those things out of your head and down on paper then you can sleep soundly!!
My daughter loves to use ‘just one more story pleeeease!’ because she knows bedtime stories are MY soft spot!
A solid traditional delaying tactic! 🙂
How can you resist that request – there are so many good stories to read and a great way to relax before bed.
The most commonly used tactic in our house is a multi-pronged approach involving 3 cheeky kids, working cohesively, via a plethora of requests. Of course there’s the usual suspects: toilet, water, blanket straightening. However to keep us on our toes they also throw in a ‘missing’ teddy (or two), a comprehensive overview of the natural world, brain-boggling queries on various bodily functions, sudden realisations about forgot fruit at the bottom of a school bag, and the like. Just when you think the performance is complete, an encore ensues with the age old classic of ‘I need another Mummy/Daddy hug’. Such a heart tugging finale that simply must be indulged (multiple times per child). And thus concludes ‘Bedtime’.
Devious!
It was sooo hard for me to choose the excuses for my story as there are so many… I do love the missing teddy excuse though and the forgotten fruit :-).