Bedtime for Frances

The big hand of the clock is at 12.
The little hand is at 7.
It is seven o'clock.
It is bedtime for Frances.
Mother said, "It is time for bed."
Father said, "It is time for bed."
Frances said, "I want a glass of milk."
"All right," said Father.
"All right," said Mother.
"You may have a glass of milk."
Frances drank the milk.
-Excerpt from Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban (c) 1960, HarperCollins


I just read that Russell Hoban died the other day. I immediately thought of little Frances the badger and what a wonderful children's book character she is. Little did I know that Hoban was also a prolific science fiction writer. He once said, "If I am kept away from writing, I become physically unwell," - how's that for making a career out of what you love doing?!