I was hooked on this book by the title and cover. J read it and was wowed by it. I then handed my Kindle to my pre-school teacher daughter. She said it brought back fond memories of her dad reading to her. She is a fairy tale princess fan so she loved all aspects of this book. The illustrations are beautiful. She wishes she could send this book home with each of her students. Rest assured, we will be purchasing a few copies for gifts and one for her classroom.

Super cute story of a little girl who has to find a new bedtime storyteller after her father finds a new job that cuts into his storytelling duties and she fires him. The fairy tale characters answering her ad are just not suitable, however, and it soon becomes clear there is only one person for the job. A fun story, great illustrations, and a good reminder for kids and especially adults to take a break from their screens now and then.

#HelpWantedMustLoveBooks #NetGalley

Nobody reads to you like the one you squish into the recliner with each night!

This is an awfully cute book about Shailey and her dad reading together every night until he gets a new job. He is too busy and tired to read to her anymore. Shailey decides to find a new bedtime storyteller. She advertises that the candidate “Must Love Books.” She interviews many Disney characters with no luck before adding “Individual applicants only.” After more missteps, she adds “Human applicants only.” Unfortunately, none of the people applying can seem to stay awake so she resorts to the addition of “Must be able to stay awake” and later “solid hygiene skills required.” In the end, only one person qualifies.

I found this to be a delightful book. I was surprised and pleased to see early Disney characters as the applicants. The story is funny and kids will enjoy it. The artwork is comfortable and appealing. This book should definitely be in your library. There is a message here for both child and adults alike. A definite win-win!


I received an ARC from Capstone Publishing through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

I loved this picture book! Bedtime stories are such an important part of my own child's day and I really enjoyed that this book showed how much this time with a parent means to children. Very cute with colourful illustrations, I loved all the fairy tales incorporated into the story (the resumes at the end was a fun touch!) and a great message all around. Definitely one I will be recommending!

Shailey loves her bedtime stories and especially the special bonding time that she shares with her father as he reads to her every night. But then he gets a new job, and it takes a lot of time away from her. He's constantly busy and simply doesn't have the time to read to her that he once had. So she takes it upon herself to put up a Help Wanted sign, seeking someone new to read her those beloved bedtime stories.

A crazy parade of applicants comes marching through the door, each one more disastrous than the last. Shailey finds herself constantly amending the job description, hoping to find that truly perfect person to read to her. You'll have fun checking out all of these new characters, because you're going to recognize them all.

And then finally the last applicant walks through the door. And he's absolutely perfect.

I absolutely adored this story. I love the illustrations that show all of the different characters from Shailey's beloved bedtime stories. (See how many you recognize and then go find those books to read!) The resumes at the end of the book also cracked me up.

I love the feelings evoked by the pictures of her curling up with her father in the rocking chair as he reads bedtime stories to her. I have such fond memories of my parents reading to me when I was young. And I love the message that it is sending to parents.

As adults these days, we are getting busier and busier and sometimes forget about the little ones' lives also being affected. It's imperative that we remember those things that are the most important, such as creating those memories of story time, not to mention how important it is to children's language development to be read to on a regular basis.

Janet Sumner Johnson has hit the ball out of the park with her debut picture book. I give it 5 stars and want all kids to be able to share it with their parents!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Such a fun story! This book about Shailey who has fired her dad from reading her bedtime story is so creative and perfect for kids in early elementary.


Thank you to NetGalley and Capstone for giving me the chance to read this book.

Cute children's book. I was able to follow along easily. The main characters loves to be read to and when her father was not able to she enlists a help wanted from an assortment of characters that you will all know. I highly recommend!

Help Wanted, Must Love Books by Janet Sumner Johnson is a delightful bedtime story.

When Shailey's dad's new job prevents him from reading her bed time stories she decides to find a new reading partner.
What is so fabulous about this book is that she interviews well known book characters such as Snow White, Gingerbread Man and others, but despite it all she can't seem to find the right one.
I was enchanted by this idea.

Illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and though there could have been more just because they are so charming and I was craving for more.
The ending is so sweet. It holds a very important message and I also liked a bit of humor woven through it all.
A must read!

While I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own.

This book is about a little girl who has an amazing bedtime story teller for a daddy. When daddy gets a job, bedtime story time is over... unless Shailey can find someone new to read her bedtime stories. So, she posts a job listing for a new bedtime story reader. The crew of applicants that comes through to try and be her new story teller are amazing and funny. You will see familiar faces and a few surprises I think. But in the end, no one is quite right. What will Shailey do? You will have to read to find out.

Wonderful story. Great concept, beautiful art.

4.5 stars. A darling book with terrific illustrations. I loved the premise - Dad is too busy with work so his daughter is looking for a new bedtime book reader. The applicants - all famous fairy tale characters - are amusing. There are even a couple applications in the back that were fun to read. This would be an excellent read aloud for school, home, library or book store use.

This is such a precious story, both in words and illustrations. When Shailey's dad can't fulfill his duty as bedtime storyteller, she begins looking for applicants to fill the job. Some of her favorite fairy tale characters apply but will they be able to fill the job?

Shailey loves story time with her Dad each night. But when he gets a new job and doesn’t seem to have time for story time, Shailey fires him and starts interviewing for someone else to read her bedtime stories. The applicants quickly line up, but can Shailey find the right replacement?

This book takes an unexpected and fantastical twist as soon as the applications start showing up. Kids should recognize the applicants from other stories they’ve heard, read, or seen and get a hoot out of the issues Shailey faces in finding the perfect story teller. The ending is sweet and provides a good idea for families who need boundaries for family time to happen. Highly recommended for fractured fairy tale fans, humor fans, family story fans, and bedtime story lovers.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a heart-warming picture book, featuring familiar characters in a new way. Shailey's dad gets a new job, and can no longer fulfill his bedtime reading duties, so Shailey has to hire a new storyteller. She finds the shoes quite difficult to fill after interviewing a number of characters that just don't fit the bill. So she continues to edit her job posting until the perfect candidate comes in to read for her.

Young Shailey is in a rough situation. Her bedtime story reader is not working out, so she fires him. That is, she fires her dad! She creates a sign for the position and a number of fairytale characters apply, but none of them are quite what she needs. In the end, Shailey is in for a big surprise when the final applicant shows up and ends up being perfect for the job. At the conclusion, we're all reminded of the importance of prioritizing those we love and showing up when it matters most. The sweet, soft artwork showcases many pastels and I loved exploring the details in each illustration. This will be such a great book to read with your youngster at bedtime!

At the conclusion of the story, there are a couple pages of ADORABLE resumes from Pinocchio, Robin Hood, Tinkerbell, and The Frog Prince. So make sure to keep turning the page to enjoy the details from each applicant. Thank you NetGalley and Capstone for sending me an advanced copy so I could provide an honest review.

5/5 stars. This beautifully illustrated picture book will make a great read-aloud for young children. Can you guess the storybook home of each applicant? I will be purchasing this title for our library.

A great children's book to show young children how great nightly bedtime stories can be. I also think it is a great book to remind parents how important nightly read-aloud time is for our children.

Shailey's imagination from the stories read previously to her was beautifully illustrated as well as the love between a parent and child.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher, Capstone, through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

Shailey is frustrated with her dad. He just got a new job, and can no longer read her stories before bed. In retaliation, to show him what he’s missing out on, she begins posting classifieds in order to find the perfect bedtime fit. But she gets princesses who fall asleep in the middle of telling stories, a group of seven dwarves, and other characters who are just too hectic and loud to be calming right before bed.

With spunky illustrations and a wide cast of characters, Help Wanted: Must Love Books easily transcends both realism and fantasy in order to find Shailey’s just-right bedtime story reader.

Overall, this is an adorable and laugh-out-loud book, great for children who love fairy tales and can have fun spotting some of their favorite characters. Perfect for grades K-2.

Unlike some children, Shailey loves bedtime. She even has a routine that works perfectly for her: Pj’s, brush teeth, choose a book from her bookshelf, then snuggle up for a story with her dad.

Help Wanted
But when her dad gets a new job, things change. He now finds himself busy, tired and distracted at bedtime. The nightly cuddles and stories don’t happen.

So what’s a girl to do? She fires her dad. Then she creates a sign. With Dad fired, there’s an opening for someone to read to her each night.

Who Are These Characters?
But the characters who apply for the job aren’t quite right. Sleeping Beauty can’t stay awake, the Gingerbread Man steals her book, and Snow White brings along her whole team.

This section of the book is really cute and sure to catch the attention of little ones. There are several storybook characters for kids to point out such as The Three Little Pigs, Snow White, and the Seven Dwarves.

And each time Shailey’s applicants don’t meet her expectations, she updates her post with additional wording. This happens several times, which only adds to the excitement of the story.

Bedtime
But will this determined little girl ever locate the right person for the job? Or is storytime a thing of the past?

This is a cute book that is bound to bring smiles and a little voice that says, “Will you read it again?”

What Concerned Me
I would like to have had an indication of why Dad became aware of the need to make a change in his evening schedule. (Of course, his daughter posted a sign, but it doesn’t show him looking at it.)

By not knowing Dad’s reasons, the ending felt abrupt and unexplained.

What I Liked Best
The illustrations certainly contribute to this story. Courtney Dawson does a great job of matching kid-friendly pictures with text.
2. This is a fun book with an important message to parents tucked inside the pages. You-and-me-time is very important. And in this case, of course, I’m going to love that father/daughter time is book-related.

3. The story also offers a wonderful opportunity to talk about problem-solving. Shailey didn’t fall apart when things didn’t go her way. She immediately made a plan.

4. And lastly, at the back of the book are a few illustrations of the characters’ resumes. They are absolutely over-the-top cute. It would be a wonderful assignment for older kids to create a resume for a character too.

As an example, the highlights of Robin Hood’s resume are that his stories hit the mark and he’s known for making people merry. One of his interests is lifting peoples’ burdens (usually in the form of gold), etc. What a fun activity for older kids.

This book offers many different discussion points and would be perfect for both individual and classroom use.

Help Wanted, Must Love Books is a creative and fun bedtime story in itself, and pays respect to many other well-known children's bedtime stories.
A young girl loves bedtime stories read by her father. But when he gets a new job, she must find someone to fill the position. When applicants show up for their interviews, their antics make the interviewer change her job posting sign several times.
It's a delightful read and kids (and their parents) will laugh along at the twists and turns, and sign changes.
What fun!

I would use this in a Reception, Y1 or Y2 classroom to create pieces of work.

The character interviews characters from fairy tales to find a new bedtime story reader and they wrote a CV for why they should get the role.

It’s lots of fun & could prompt pieces of writing,