Time for Margot to Go to Bed


Children - Animals
38 Pages
Reviewed on 10/24/2019
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Lieve Snellings is a multi Award-winning Author and a retired freelance photographer who lives in Leuven (Belgium). Her images illustrated many books, magazines, and were published online. Her photos were shown in exhibitions all over the world.

Her series of pictures books/children’s books illustrated with full-color photos ‘Margot the Groundhog and her North American Squirrel Family’ count now 3 books: 1) Margot Gets an Unexpected Visit 2) Groundhog Secrets – Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Woodchucks 3) Time for Margot to Go to Bed.

Since 2008, after meeting up with her partner who lives in Quebec, you can find her for about 5 months a year in Canada. There she became a passionate nature photographer. She spent hours, weeks… observing wildlife and searched every info she could find. This and her imagination made her publish three children’s books in which photos are as important as words.
Her stories take the traditional picture book experience and transform it by replacing illustrations by her own nature photography. The books are written in her mother tongue Dutch and translated into English and French.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

Time for Margot to Go to Bed (Margot the Groundhog and Her North American Squirrel Family Book 3) by Lieve Snellings is the story of Margot the groundhog and hibernation. Margot was feeling sad though she loved her sleep time. Frazie, the American red squirrel, felt Margot was sad because she would not be able to run and jump for a long time. Margot explained to Frazie and Phillie, the gray squirrel, how groundhogs don't even visit their families during their hibernation. Margot wanted to hang out with her friends. Her friends, the squirrels, decided to find a way to see each other so that they could play together. They wanted to dry her tears and make her happy to enter her burrow. Let's read the story to find out how Margot's friends planned to stay in touch with her.

This is a beautiful story that will introduce young readers to the concept of hibernation in an engaging way, and the story is also about friendship. It is heartwarming to see Margot's friends trying to find ways to stay in touch with her while she is hibernating in the burrow. The illustrations are as magical as the story and bring the characters to life and give each one of them a personality of their own. This makes them memorable and real to young readers. It is a good storybook to help children make good and lasting friends. Tutors and parents can read the story of Margot to them and encourage them to make good friends who bring color and joy into their lives, just like Margot's friends.

Dominiq Nkenné

“En lisant ce livre, j’ai retrouvé l’enfance interrogative que j’avais en moi, le sens de la recherche des solutions créatives à tous les problèmes. Je pense aussi qu’à travers ce livre, les enfants aussi bien que les adultes peuvent apprendre à comprendre qu’être différent est une qualité et non un handicap. Merci à Lieve pour ce moment de rêve et de plaisir que la lecture de ton livre m’a procuré. “

Christian Chevallier

“A refreshing bouquet! A story that will transport children and their parents to dreamland. A warm recommendation for nature lovers.”
Christian Chevalier, director, photographer, Quebec.

” Un bouquet de fraîcheur! Une histoire qui transportera les enfants et leurs parents au pays des rêves. Je recommande cette comptine aux amants de la nature. ”
Christian Chevalier, réalisateur photographe, Québec

Geert Weggen

“A warm story written by a warm person: Lieve Snellings. With beautiful, creative animal photos from a world where animals can talk and occasionally shed tears. ”
Geert Weggen, Dutch-Swedish international top photographer and winner of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2018.

Relinde Baeten

“How an unknown animal gets ‘star allure’ for children.”

Shebar Windstone

Such wonderful photos & an admirable cast of characters/ circle of friends! I will keep your book with me when I go into hibernation this winter!

Rosie Russell

An adorable book about friendship.
“Time for Margot to Go to Bed (Margot the Groundhog and Her North American Squirrel Family Book 3)” is an adorable book about friendship. Author and Photographer, Lieve Snellings, creates wonderful books for readers. She captures beautiful images in her stories.
Poor Margot is sad, but have no fear, her friends have come to help her out with her situation. These friends are different than what Margot expects, but their endearing ideas that are suggested, will put a smile on the faces of adults and children. Fun facts are blended in for further learning.
I highly recommend this book anytime, but this would make a perfect bedtime story. Children will be left with a warm and fuzzy feeling as they drift off to sleep.

Alma Hammond

Beautiful Book
This is an adorable story featuring wildlife using the author’s beautiful photography as illustrations. The story inspires friendship and empathy for others while at the same time educates. Highly recommend.

Helen Pryke

A book to treasure!
I love these books about Margot and her friends. With gorgeous photos, a cute story line, and information about woodchucks, they’ll appeal to children and adults alike. A lovely book that can be read over and over again, and treasured by all the family.

Joanie Chevalier

Beautiful Photography & Cute Story
This book is beautifully done. The author is a talented photographer and has a cute message to her readers: it is okay for everyone to be different. Margot’s friends help her figure out how not to be lonely in her long hibernation, and they come up with some fun ideas. Margot is then able to go to sleep, knowing if she awakens for a bit, she’ll be comforted knowing her friends are near.

This is a short book, but I can see children wanting to read it over and over again. They (and their parents) will be amazed and amused at the photos. I know I was. I look forward to the next book of another of Margot’s adventures!

Eugenia Chu

Another wonderful, adorable book about Margot the groundhog and her friends! It’s fall and Margot is sad because it’s almost time for her to hibernate. Margot loves to sleep so she is confused as to why she is so sad. Her caring (and oh so cute) friends help her figure out that she is sad because she will miss all her friends! They then get together to brainstorm ways to cheer her up and ways for Margot to communicate with them when she wakes up to pee and poop during hibernation! The ideas are all so creative and show how much Margot’s friends love her.

Kids will absolutely fall in love with Margot (like I did!). The author/photographer did an amazing job of capturing the most adorable aspects of Margot and her friends and then adding props to make them even more precious and relatable! Parents/teachers/caretakers will appreciate how this story shows what true friendship looks like and that it promotes diversity. This story teaches that being different is not only ok, but that it can be a gift.

Barbarra Roman

An entertaining glimpse into the wonders of the wild
“Time for Margot to Go to Bed” is author Lieve Snellings’ third book about a creature most of us never thought of as a delight to read about: Margot the Woodchuck (also known as a Groundhog.)

Snellings’ photography enhances the adventures as Margot and her friends inform and entertain us about their habits and ingenious use of nature’s gifts. Employing cute little props and costumes, Snelling gives the critters a very appealing persona. And through it all we learn very important aspects of their lives in the wild. This book explores the necessary cycle of hibernation, which for most animals who “go to bed,” is just something they do when the time comes. For Margot, who is not like other woodchucks, it is also a time of sadness for she has to leave her friends for a long period of time. It is not surprising then that her friends offer some creative ideas as to how to make that separation much easier.

Through her charming storytelling, Snellings reinforces our belief that animals are sentient beings with emotions, who can form deep friendships, and are playful in their own sweet way. I strongly recommend that you acquire the first two books in the series as well as this one, to provide children with relatable tales that will instill in them a love for nature, and an educational glimpse into that mysterious world.

Julie Hanson

A fun book about friendship!
“Time for Margot to Go to Bed” is an adorable story with beautiful photos of animals. Margot, the groundhog is sad and doesn’t know why. Then she realizes it’s because she’ll miss her friends when she hibernates for the winter. She tells everyone how much she’ll miss them so they try to come up with ideas to stay in touch with Margot during the long winter. And what ideas they came up with! Soon the plan was set in motion and Margot was happy. She’ll never feel alone again and is fortunate to have so many friends that care about her. This heartwarming story is about friendship and what they do to show they care. I highly recommend this book!

Barbara Mojica

GOOD NIGHT, SLEEP TIGHT
Margot is no ordinary groundhog. Most groundhogs do not have friends or visit with their families. Margot has lots of animal friends that she loves to play with.

Now that the weather is getting cooler, it’s time for her to hibernate. But Margot fears she will miss her friends too much. Her friends including chipmunks, squirrels, raccoons, and birds, brainstorm how to keep in touch. Can a cell phone, photographs, periscope, a magic spell or sweet dreams keep away Margot’s loneliness?

Margot is truly touched by her friends’ thoughtfulness and kindness. Children clearly get the message that we can have many different types of friends and that true friendship means empathy and kindness. The beautiful photographs of these animals will delight young readers. Adults will enjoy them just as much.

This gorgeous picture book is highly recommended for readers of any age.

Trisha Kelly

Another fantastic book with great illustrations
This series of books are a great way to educate children and adults alike about the natural habitat of the creatures featured in the stories. It does it in an easy way for all to understand. Fantastic photography and feel-good storyline. Thoroughly recommended read.

Maxine Sylvester

Educational and adorable
Lieve dedicates this book to all girls and boys who still hear animals talk. I thought that was delightful – just like the book itself.

Groundhog, Margot, is going into hibernation for six months. She is sad because she will miss her squirrel and chipmunk friends, so together they come up with ways to stay in touch. (One friend suggests wi-fi which tickled me!)

The photographs, taken by Lieve Snellings, are superb and the props and clothes added to the images will delight young readers.

I found Time for Margot to go to Bed educational and adorable. I knew little about groundhogs hailing from the UK and I, like those children Lieve dedicates this book to, love the idea that Margot isn’t lonely in her big sleep, she has friends to comfort her.

Wanda Luthman

A groundhog that doesn’t want to hibernate?!
Yes, it’s true! Margot is a groundhog that doesn’t want to go to bed. I know many children do not want to go to bed too. They (and their parents) will enjoy reading this book as Margot’s friends suggest ideas to help Margot. But another group of children that this book can help are those that move away from their friends. This can be a very sad time in a child’s life but Margot and her friends have wonderful ideas to keep friends connected! I love the real photographic pictures that is a hallmark of Lieve Snellings’ books! I think children and parents will enjoy the pictures too! A hearty 5 stars for this book!

Kathy Sommers

Delightful!
I love Margot. I do understand missing her friends and feeling alone. I miss my grown children a lot. My son is disabled, non-verbal, so our video calls are very important to both of us as are the pictures we have of each other. I cannot wait to read this to him in our next video call.

Ellen Buikema

A Wonderful Story of Friendship
I enjoyed everything about this book. The multi talented Lieve Snellings uses nature photography to illustrate a lovely story of friendship. I recommend this story for all ages. It is adorable.

Diane Guntrip

What a charming story!
What a charming story, both informative and imaginative! The photographs are delightful. This uplifting story brought a smile to my face. Well done Lieve.

Erin McIntire

Beautiful photography and message
Time for Margot to Go to Bed by Lieve Snellings is an excellent bedtime story for small children. The photography is superb and the way the pictures are manipulated to show the animals using ‘human’ items was well done. A cute, short story of friendship.

Sarah Northwood

Learning about nature has never been so fun!
These books combine delightful and skilled photographs with a meaningful storyline. Margot’s stories are always cute, but they have great messages in them. Younger children will delight in the bright, colorful pictures which parents can use to encourage reading and adults can use the great facts as an educational tool too. Learning about nature has never been so fun!

Diane Mae Robinson

A delightful story with beautiful photography
A delightful story about an endearing groundhog named Margot. The story is imaginative and well told with valuable messages that children will learn from. The author’s photography is wonderful. A charming book for children to connect with wildlife.

Jessica D. Adams

Great story to teach kids about friendship and helping others
Time for Margot to Go to Bed is a very cute book with real life photographs of animals out in the wild. The author does a great job of telling a story about the animals with the animals having a conversation about why Margot does not want to go hibernate. The story is great for kids to teach them about friendship, kindness, and thinking of others and their feelings. It is a great teaching tool for problem solving when the animals all try to think of ways to help Margot so she won’t feel so lonely while hibernating for the winter months.
My daughters and I enjoyed reading this story and think kids around ages 3-9 will enjoy reading this story.

T.L.

ANIMALS ARE ALL UNIQUE EVEN WITHIN THEIR OWN GROUP- JUST LIKE PEOPLE!
Are you having difficulty putting your child to sleep? Here is a heart warmings tory with adorable pictures to help in the bedtime routine. Not only will your young one learn each animal is different within their own group but that
going to bed is sometimes a lonely feeling. This grouping of animals demonstrate that a community can always pitch in to help each other. LOVE THE MESSAGES and THE PHOTO’s !

Opinion 22

Kids will love this!
Lieve does it again! A very sweet book about Groundhog Margot, and what good solid friendship is about. Wonderful message and beautiful photography as well.

Tammies Toolbox

Heartwarming and Creative – Sure to Delight
Children love animals and stories they can relate to. Lieve Snellings does a wonderful job of combining the two. This is a wonderful story of how a sad groundhog finds some true friends. Everyone can identify with Margot’s feelings. The real photos are beautiful and will delight kids and adults alike. This story does a fantastic job of dealing with the themes of being different, feeling sad, true friendship, and not giving up until you find a solution. I love how the animals humorously work together to find just the right solution to their friends’ problem. This is an adorable story with messages that all kids need to hear. This couldn’t be more relevant to today! Creative and heartwarming, this is one that will be read again and again.

Christina J. Lopez

Bringing the love of Nature indoors
I thoroughly loved reading Lieve’s books to children on my YouTube Channel. I believe his photos of nature brought the story to life. So many children are not able to experience the great outdoors. I believe every child will explore the great outdoors inside their own home while reading any of Lieve’s books. The storyline was so well thought out and the characters were amazing. What a friendship they had and Margot will always be taken care of.

Oshin Alagiyawanna

It is amazing how Lieve brings light to diversity through her “Time for Margot to Go to Bed”. She teaches us the core message of how it is okay to be different. In real life this is a scenario which many of us can relate to : the feeling of isolation simply because you are different. But Margot and her friends teach us how far we can go if we embrace this difference within us. It is what makes us unique after all. In a nutshell, the book implores the readers to appreciate being different and to embrace and be proud of it. It also brings into play other core values such as helping and caring for others. This, in my opinion, is indeed one of the most important virtues anyone should have. In a world of give and take, most people forget that help is something that has to be rendered without expecting anything from the person you are helping and Lieve does a very good job of reminding us of this. She also lets us view the art of consolation. Specially for the audience, she intends this for, consoling others and empathy is a very important trait that children are in the process of learning and through this book, I believe acts as a beacon for it.

As a story it is a mix of fact and fantasy which makes it so enjoyable. She also adds in a modern flair such as bringing in a cell phone and a periscope to the scenes that make it easy for the readers to associate with groundhog’s world. One aspect I enjoyed most about this book through the plot of the story was the fact it made me realize that there are more people than we think who actually care about us.

I would recommend all age groups to give this book a read. Read it, you won’t regret it!

Bruce Arrington

Fun book of friendship for kids
Time for Margot to Go to Bed, by Lieve Snellings, is a 35-page-long children’s illustrated story about friendship, caring, and the need for acceptance. All the animals in the story are good friends, whether they be squirrels, groundhogs, raccoons, chipmunks, hummingbirds, etc. Margot doesn’t want to hibernate because she will miss her friends. One by one they all think of all sorts of ideas (some quite comical) to help solve that “problem”, since those times of hibernation can be long and lonely.
The photos of the animals are absolutely hilarious, and the pages are certain to entertain many young readers. Their characters reflect children who are there to help fill a need, and to be a friend. This is the type of story that can be used in the school classroom as well as bedtimes between adults and children, since the lessons (which are many) can be applied in the family and school settings. Not only does the gift us with the reminders of sharing and caring, but it emphasizes friendships that are so important in our world today. Time for Margot to Go to Bed, by Lieve Snellings, is highly recommended.

Eileen Moynihan

It is a very unique book
This is a great book that children and adults will love. It has wonderful photos that children will adore looking at. The story is about the importance of friendship when you are away from others for a while. Adults will surely see parallels with our time in lockdown during the Covid pandemic.
A groundhog called Margot has to hibernate for the winter but she is sad because she will miss her friends. So, her friends come up with some ingenious ideas to keep in touch with her. These include writing letters, maybe installing wifi to chat online, and using a cellphone, but it is decided to use a periscope. I love the mix of modern ideas and old ones.
There is also talk about differences between them but they agree that doesn’t matter as long as they are having fun together. There are lots of things in this book that can open up discussions with children around the theme of friendship. It is a very unique book.