The premise of this book is pretty cute. However, it's also one of those that seems to be directing winks at the parents, and that becomes problematic on one particular page when it assumes that its audience is more mature and educated than it actually is.

Shailey and her dad read a bedtime story every night. But when her dad gets a new job, he's suddenly too busy to read anymore. So Shailey fires him and puts out an ad for a new bedtime story reader. She gets plenty of applicants, but there's something wrong with all of them. Goldilocks is obsessed with the comfort of the seating. Sleeping Beauty can't stay awake. The Three Little Pigs get frightened off by the Big Bad Wolf before they even have a chance to interview. It isn't until a somewhat familiar face shows up and applies for the job that Shailey finds the perfect candidate.

I don't have much of a problem with all that. The résumés at the back are cute, too (even if much of what's in them will go over readers' heads). But there's one candidate that just didn't work. Or, I should say, Shailey's reaction didn't work. The candidate is a giant. A very human-looking giant who just happens to be very large. But rather than using the opportunity to make a statement about differences not being inherently negative, the book shows Shailey being afraid, and subsequently changing her ad to read: "Human applicants only." Now, I understand that giants are often viewed as fictional creatures, but this particular giant looked pretty real. He was simply very large. When I read Shailey's revised ad, I cringed, because it seems to endorse being afraid of differences and also discriminating based on size... as well as implying that giants aren't human. Because there are very real medical conditions that can cause people to grow unusually large, this book has the potential to fuel bigotry, and potentially even bullying. I'd hate to see kids read this and then turn around and taunt their larger peers with: "Not human!"

So I can't wholeheartedly endorse this one. Perhaps Shailey's problem with the giant applicant could've been a more practical one (e.g., "Must be able to fit in our rocking chair.") or the candidate could've been changed altogether. As it is, though, I feel uncomfortable with a book that promotes discrimination based on size, going so far as to imply someone is not human because of it. The illustrations are cute, otherwise, and the resolution to the story makes perfect sense. Maybe with a bit of tweaking, this book could avoid a potentially problematic issue and be a cute fairy tale-based read.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Capstone Publishing for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. What a cute book! I loved it. Th HE story is unique and the graphic bright colorful and engaging. I think most kids would enjoy, maybe leans more towards girls. 5 stars

This humor-filled picture book shows what antics ensue when a young daughter fires her too busy dad from reading books at bedtime. With clipboard in hand, Shailey begins interviewing applicants promptly at 6:30pm. Author Janet Sumner Johnson gathers together a rag-tag group of classic storybook characters eager for employment. No one’s right for the job until a vaguely familiar prospective employee arrives.

Don’t miss the delightful and inspiring character profiles at the end of the story.

Wry humor and classic characters just might land parents the job of reading Help Wanted, Must Love Books again and again.

This is a wonderful book. Shailey loves bedtime because it was when her father reads to her, but his new job interferes so she needs to find a new reader.

It’s great that Shailey and her father are people of color. The fact that the father could be a single parent is important as well. It’s wonderful that while the job is never detailed, the father is involved in something that requires books and electronics. With just these details the story does much in the way of representation.

When Shailey interviews various replacement readers, Johnson and Dawson get clever. The people interviewed are those from fairy tales (which appear to be Shailey’s favorite book), and they are diverse. Snow White is the traditional looking Snow White, the dwarves are mixed in terms of skin color and gender. Sleeping Beauty is a person of color as is Hook. The three little pigs are still pigs, but one is girl. It is a nice variety.

The use of the fairy tales allows Johnson and Dawson to get creative. The way each character applies fits the source story, and Shailey’s increasing response to the applicants – she keeps redrafting her help wanted sign – show the power of words and meaning.

It’s a wonderful book.

Review to come February 2020 (wow so long still before that happens) on my blog/Goodreads.

I received this picture book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

A little girl who LOVES bedtime stories needs a new storyteller when her dad works so hard he just falls asleep early on in the evening or when he is too hard at work. Instead of wallowing she fires her dad (yes, really) and then starts hunting for new people to tell stories to her. I just loved her posting a poster to find a new storyteller and then adding more and more to it as the day grew long (seeing the additions to the poster were tons of fun especially since the girl kept it colourful).

I have to say I didn't expect the applicants to be THAT or be about THAT. So that was a fun surprise, I won't spoil anything as I want people to be surprised as well. I enjoyed seeing what kind of people who apply and what kind of skills they had. Not to mention, I wanted to know if the little girl would find someone to tell her stories at bedtime.

The ending was just the sweetest, that was the best applicant, but yeah, there needs to be some conditions for it to work out. :P

Oh, and the CVs from the ones who applied in the book were just a wonderful addition, really glad the author added those to the book. I had quite a laugh reading those.

I love the art it was just the cutest!

All in all, a very sweet bedtime story that I am sure will be loved by parents and children. Recommended!

This book is absolutely adorable. Shailey is upset because her dad is working too much, so she tries to hire someone to be her new bedtime story reader. She has many very interesting and hilarious applicants apply for the job. I read this with my 11 year old, and he really enjoyed it as well. I will definitely want to add this to my collection so I can read it to my second graders. They will love it! This is a cleverly written story, and I highly recommend it!

This is a very cute story! The illustrations are amazing.
The protagonist was great. She had a lot of endearing traits that showed a girl can be both sensitive and strong.
I think children will get a lot of joy identifying the job appilcant characters, offering a great mix of analysis and creativity.

Janet Sumner Johnson's "Help Wanted, Must Love Books" is an adorable and hilarious book. The illustrations are engaging and colorful. The story follows a little girl who is seeking to fill her father's position of bedtime storyteller. She interviews an array of characters before she finds just the right one. This book is captivating and funny.

I love this book! It is a picture book about a girl who looks forward to bedtime stories with her dad each night. This favorite time is disrupted when dad gets a new job and is too busy and distracted for this ritual. Taking matters into her own hands, Shailey advertises for someone to read to her. Readers will chuckle as Shailey edits and modifies her help wanted ad based on the applicants. For a further sense of fun, the applicants are all characters from favorite children's stories. Both adults and children should enjoy recognizing job seekers like Cinderella and Goldilocks. The end of the book is sweet as the best applicant, gets the job.

At the end of the book are amusing personal statements from a few of those seeking employment, including Robin Hood and Tinkerbell. There is also a caution to keep devices and distractions away from story time.

All in all, this was a delightful story with great illustrations. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review.

So very cute!! I LOVED this picture book and I am looking forward to the author's next installment with this character.

This is a really cute book about a girl who is trying to find a replacement for her dad, who's new job is keeping him from reading her bedtime stories. All kinds of characters (Goldilocks, Snow White, etc.) come to interview and no one is able to fill the position. The illustrations are done very well. Children will love this story!

*thank you to Netgalley, Janet Sumner Johnson and Capstone for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*


5 stars.

Ohh my stars this was EXCELLENT! It literally had a lot of what I love in a book. It was about Books which, let's face it, is good enough for me right there and doesn't need anything else to accompany it. But it did have more. It was about fairytales and it was surprisingly funny! I giggled at a few of the pages. It really is quite an adorable book. 

It's about a girl named, Shailey. Shailey loves bedtime because that is her special time with her dad to get lost in her fairytale stories. But then her dad is unable to keep doing that with her because he gets a new job that makes him far too busy at that time of the day to sit down and cuddle up and read. So Shailey puts up an advertisement for a new storyteller which kinda doesn't go as she planned. 

This story is sure to make bedtime reading fun. It's a book that is mainly aimed for 4-7 year olds but I reckon that age range can be a lot wider, as even as an adult, I found this to be really entertaining and lovely to look at. 

I can't not mention the illustrations. Courtney Dawson is an amazing illustrator. The use of colours along with the style of the artwork just fit perfectly. This soft kind of art is my favourite for picture books because it has such a gentleness to it that would easily appeal to my younger self. Actually it appeals to my adult self too. The cover design just looks amazing and that is what caught my eye first with this book then it was the title which is so spot on and perfect. 

I can't wait until this is released because it's one that I want to purchase to add to my collection. Definitely highly recommended.

The idea behind the story is good, but the execution sort of lacks sparkle. It was more being able to tell what was going to happen. It was way too easy to guess what was going to happen, but it wasn't being done in way that made it exciting to get it right. It might be different if I were a child to whom all these stories are new. I could be used to get children to predict what would happen, but there are books that would be much better for learning to predict.

This one is a must read! The sweet story about a little girl looking for a replacement bedtime reader after he dad gets a new job that keeps him working late into the night. Lovely illustrations and a smart, spunky protagonist. Delightful. Makes me wish my kids were still small enough to enjoy picture books.

Bedtime is a very important routine for Shailey. She and her daddy always read until they fall asleep. But then her dad gets a new job, and Shailey feels that he's falling down on his reading duties. She's forced to take some stern actions and fires her father. Shailey posts her "help wanted" sign, and gets tons of applicants! Unfortunately, it looks like her favorite fairy-tale characters may be better at starring in the books, not reading them. Will Shailey ever find another bedtime storyteller?

A lovely story about the importance of family bonding. I loved the inclusion of the fairy-tale characters as her applicants and the effort that the father character shows in spending time with Shailey. Very cute!

Thanks to Capstone and NetGalley for the eARC.