Behind the Book: It's Time for Bed

The perfect bedtime book to help your little ones drift off to sleep!

“As night-time falls, and the sun goes down, all over the world, grown-ups are saying: ‘It’s time for bed!’.”

We caught up with the terrific Sophie Kent to find out more about the illustrations in the charming new picture book It’s Time for Bed, written by Rosie Davidson and published by Hodder UK.

What inspired the artistic style in It’s Time For Bed?

The team at Hodder really loved the texture and lighting in some of my previous work and wanted me to bring that into the artwork for It’s Time for Bed. I focused a lot on creating an atmosphere that evoked calm and sleepiness in the bedroom scenes, and I tried to emphasise this as it gets later in the evening within the book.

What inspired the character design?

It was really important for every child to be able to see themselves within the main character, so I wanted their gender and race to be more ambiguous and open to interpretation by each individual reader. I took a similar approach to the parents, so that they could reflect the largest proportion of families possible!

What do you love most about illustrating books?

I love creating new worlds and environments for readers to explore, I especially love the little details that can spark curiosity or humour. It’s also always really special and a great sense of accomplishment seeing the finished, printed book after I’ve been working on it digitally for so long.

What was your favourite part of working on It’s Time For Bed in particular?

I really loved illustrating the little bunny characters within It’s Time for Bed. They were so fun to illustrate and such a sweet addition to every page!

Do you personally resonate with the theme of the book? If so, what are some things you do to achieve that?

I think having a good bedtime routine and general sleep hygiene is so important no matter what age you are - ask anyone after a bad night’s sleep and they’ll definitely agree. I try my best to have a good and consistent routine, but I’m always guilty of using my phone close to bedtime!

Is there anything specific you hope readers take away after reading It’s Time For Bed?

I think the main takeaway I’m hoping people have from It’s Time for Bed is how helpful a good bedtime routine can be, and of course all of the valuable insight and information from the amazing author Rosey Davidson.

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Sophie is represented by Nicky Lander. To get work with Sophie, get in touch with Nicky here.