My kids are the sort who get more energetic the closer we get to bedtime or when they’re overtired. Bedtime has not been an easy time in our home, so we needed a good stack of books about going to bed well, and this stack includes some of our current favorites.
Pete the Cat and the Bedtime Blues by Kimberly and James Dean is a favorite of both of my kids. Pete and his friends are having a blast together at the beach and don’t want their fun to end. They have a sleepover at Pete’s house, but no one wants to sleep when Pete does. He reads them a story and they all go to sleep. This book has been especially helpful since my kids started sharing a room so they understand how disrupting the other kid’s sleep is tough.
We love the Bear books by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman. In Bear Can’t Sleep, Bear is unable to hibernate even though winter has started. His friends come by to check on him and try to help him fall asleep with tea, a warm fire, a cozy blanket, etc. Instead, Bear starts to tell his friends a good story and falls asleep before the end!
Hush! A Thai Lullaby by Minfong Ho and illustrated by Holly Meade shows a mother quieting all the noisy animals and insects who come by while her baby is sleeping. Finally everyone is quiet and the mother falls asleep as well, just as baby is waking. My kids loved identifying the animals making noises, and boy could I relate to the mama not getting a nap!
The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson and illustrated by Beth Krommes is a story where the lines build on each other. They describe a house and a child who are getting ready for bed. We love to read it at a slow pace we read it so we can see how the lines build and also notice all the features in the images.
Goodnight Yoga by Mariam Gates and illustrated by Sarah Jane Hinder tells a story that corresponds with various calming yoga poses to do before bed. We just found this book and started trying the poses, and both my 6 and 3 year olds can (mostly) do the poses. It’s a great way to get some last physical energy out in a calming way before bed.
This fun book shows young readers well known works of art in many styles as part of a narrative of going to sleep and waking up refreshed. It has been thrilling to show my kids the book and then have them remember some of the works when we have gone to the Art Institute of Chicago!
Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmnan is one that makes us laugh every time we read it! In it, a zookeeper puts the zoo to bed, but a hilarious gorilla and his mouse friend unlock all the cages, and the animals follow the zookeeper home. We love finding the mouse (pulling a banana on a string) on each page!