Baby bedtime books

You can’t go wrong with a Sandra Boynton board book. Here, she imagines a boat full of friendly animals going about their bedtime routines (gotta brush those teeth!) before rocking gently to sleep.

Another Boynton favorite turns bedtime into a party complete with song and dance moves. But don’t worry, the after-party takes place in dreamland.

In this bedtime book, a tricky gorilla steals the zookeeper’s keys and lets all the animals out of their cages. When the zookeeper’s wife discovers the animals napping in her bedroom, she gently leads them home so they can all get a good night’s sleep.

The reader is entrusted with a very important and difficult job—don’t let the pigeon stay up late! The crafty pigeon will use every excuse and stall tactic, so it won’t be easy, but it will be funny.

Patient Mr. Panda reminds his animal friends to follow the steps of their bedtime routines, like taking a bath and brushing teeth. Sloth and skunk make excuses, but cheerful Lemur sticks to the plan. (Let’s all be like Lemur.)

What better way is there to say goodnight than with tons of kisses? Count down from “10 little kisses on teeny tiny toes” and learn body parts and numbers along the way with this sweet bedtime book.

Are you more of a hugger? This day in-the-life of a busy bunny is chock full of hug breaks, especially at bedtime!

Cement mixers and crane trucks have bedtimes too in this popular bedtime book about things that go.

Everyone’s favorite toddler tiger wants to play, but it’s time for bed. Dad gently moves Daniel through bath, teeth, PJ’s, story and a song until he’s too sleepy to protest anymore.

Your little one falls asleep to the sound of your loving affirmations, like “I love you like mice love cheese! I love you like vines love trees!” in this bedtime book for babies.

A little owl resists bedtime, claiming he’s not remotely tired—despite all evidence to the contrary. Sound like anyone you know?

A little boy imagines himself as a robot powering down at bedtime. It’s hard to stop jumping and beeping, but by “turning off” each body part, he can finally achieve sleep.

For littles with the wiggles, learning these gentle and poetically expressed yoga poses is a great way to settle in for bed.

A hilarious twist on the traditional bedtime story has our child narrator sending her exhausted and haggard looking parents to bed, which requires taking away their computers, magazines, TV and cell phones. “Remain calm. Do not negotiate,” she advises. Sounds familiar.

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15 Of The BEST Baby and Toddler Bedtime Books To End Your Day With

I get asked ALL the time for my best baby and toddler bedtime book recommendations from my busy mom friends. Everybody knows that one of my favorite times of the day is the very last part of our day and the best part of our bedtime routine — reading books together!

From the beginning I have been steadfast in my mission to curate a wonderful collection of books to read at bedtime with Riley to start this habit of reading before bed because it’s how *I* always like to end my day and I just really cherish those moments before bed after the chaos of a busy day.

Even when she was still a newborn I always read her one book before she went to sleep (ha — if you can call what she did sleep during those days) and then we worked our way up to more.

It’s been at a steady 5 books a night since about 10 months and she’s 2.5 years old now and that’s still about what we read — though it takes even LONGER now because the books are far longer. However, reading is also my FAVORITE thing so I don’t mind it being a huge chunk of our nightly routine or taking longer.

Anyways, I love talking about our favorite bedtime books since it’s my favorite part of the day and it’s helped us to establish a calming, easy bedtime routine.

Can I promise you that your baby will sleep better? Nah. But I genuinely think our bedtime routine at least helped her with the GOING to sleep part and just made for such a lovely end to the day. Even when someone else did bedtime — she KNEW what to expect….and would yell at grandma when she tried to skip it.

It’s been fun watching Riley anticipate the reading portion of the bedtime routine since she was about 6 months old. She used to get SO mad when it was over as a baby and as a toddler she’s always still endlessly excited for books and will try to ask for ONE MORE BOOK.

I’ll get to the books to read with your baby or toddler first but at the end let’s talk tips and tricks about adding books into your bedtime routine!

[Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links which means that if you click on a link and purchase something I’ve talked about or recommended, I’ll receive a very small percentage of the sale. Please see my disclosure policy for more info.

Before we get into the actual list of books to read at bedtime with your baby or toddler, let’s talk about why it’s important and how to add it to your nighttime routine! Maybe you think “great! One more thing to add to to the chaos of bed!” That’s what we are trying to avoid! It’s easy and once you make it a habit it will be so second nature.

Why reading to your baby/toddler before bed is so important?

There are so many important reasons/benefits to reading to your child in general that are backed by science and that obviously factor into why it is so important for reading to be part of your bedtime ritual as well as your daily life.  All of those reasons apply here!

But some of the reasons I’ve found it is so important for both Riley AND me as a parent are just based on how it makes us feel (though science probably TOTALLY could back it all up):

1. Connection & Cuddles: Whether she sits on my lap or cuddles up next to me, it soothes me even on the most stressful of days and I know it does the same for her. I love being intentional about connecting at the end of our day — especially on days where I feel like I’ve been distracted or maybe we had a really hard day. I love her going to bed on a good note doing something we both enjoy so much. I always feel such a strong bond no matter how much of a crap mom I felt like that day for whatever reason.

2. It’s such a calming way to wind down: I can’t imagine just abruptly ending our day without having some buffer time to really wind down. I find that, for whatever reason, if we tried to skip the book portion and just do bath/jammies/teeth that she is always a bit more hyper going down. I like that she is adaptable enough if we come home super late that she’s okay with skipping books but I like that we have that extra mellowing out time. Sure, sometimes we get silly now when we read now that she’s a toddler but overall it’s such a good wind-down activity.

3. It’s built-in reading time: For as much time as Riley and I spend reading outside of bedtime reading, there are some days when we are just so busy and active that we don’t read ANY books until that time. It’s important to read daily so I love knowing that no matter how the day goes — we have that. We read, right now, 5 books every night which is 1,825 books a year. I love knowing that I’m setting aside that time and she expects it so it keeps me accountable.

How To Add Reading Books To Your Little One’s Bedtime Routine + General Tips

Decide what you want your general bedtime to routine to look like if you don’t already have one. That’s the most important step is to making a bedtime routine that works for YOUR family and what you can conceivably do. Here are some examples from what our various routines looked like as a baby and toddler:

As a toddler: Bath (every other day at this point), teeth, brush hair, jammies, sleep sack, jumps into our bed and read 5 books, sip of water, kisses the dog, kisses us and then off to bed with a song and kiss.

We have always allotted around 30 minutes for ours because that works for us. As a baby the bottle part took the longest time, bath was shorter and the board books we read were way shorter. Now as a toddler bath and books are both longer but still equal around 30 minutes because we don’t have the bottle obviously.

Once you get your general routine down:

Decide WHEN you want the book portion of your bedtime ritual. We liked for it to be last thing we do but maybe it works better for you to do books first and bath/jammies last because THAT soothes them the most.

Decide how many books/how long you want to read for. Reading is one of my greatest passions so for me I will always have reading our books be a really long portion of our bedtime routine. We also only have one kid so we aren’t juggling multiple bedtimes. Maybe you do one book at night, maybe you do 5. Whatever works for your family and is reasonable FOR YOU. We are less busy these days so we can have a longer allotted time for it.

Decide on where you are going to read. Since we moved to our house we all pile into our bed and then she goes to her room to sleep. Maybe the transition is easier for you to read in your child’s room.

Start small & adapt: If it’s new, start small. See how long it takes. Make adjustments. BUT STICK WITH IT. I promise it will get easier to carve out the time once you just do it. We start our bedtime routine earlier to allot for all that reading time. It should be soothing — not a stressor — so only do what helps your night flow better. ALSO, as they get older your routine will change a little and adapt. When we read longer books I decrease the amount we are reading.

Mix it up: I try to add a mix of longer and shorter books for attention sake. I also always have a favorite book or two in the mix each time and then add in some that we don’t read as often or library books we are trying out since I’m ALWAYS looking for new books to read at bedtime. I also have a weekly rotation of about 8 books and we mix and match it up every night for a week and then I start the week with a new selection.

Know what books work: Riley doesn’t get too wound up when we read silly or fun books but your kid might need soothing, calming books at bed to keep the mood low key. When she was a baby and started getting her preferences, she only wanted her FAVORITE books so I just stuck to those until she seemed more open to other ones or she would cry. 

If it’s becoming a fight, figure out why: Maybe they are too tired that night, maybe they don’t like the book you are reading, maybe they want to flip through a book themselves while you read (now, at 2, Riley straights up “reads outloud” her book while I’m reading a book and pays attention to both LET ME TELL YOU god forbid I skip a page), maybe they want to pick out the books, maybe they want the SAME book read 5 times instead of the 4 different ones. THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT HAVE CAUSED PROBLEMS FOR US but I was able to figure out that’s why she was tantrum-ing or resisting and figured out how we can solve it. I pick my battles.

Books To Read To Baby At Bedtime

When I started picking bedtime books for baby Riley I tended to pick short ones considering her attention span and I guess I always picked ones that had some sort of sleep/bedtime element because perhaps I wanted to send out all the good sleep vibes to the universe.

I loved these short little bedtime board books and how perfectly they fit into our routine and how much she loved them. Plus it was nice for her to start understanding the concept of “going to bed” and just knowing how it fits in our day and what to expect.

These were by far our favorite bedtime books for during the newborn to 12 month range:

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Oh man does she loves this one and I do too! It goes through baby’s day and then ends with baby taking a bath and going to bed! Very simple story that helps them relate to the various things of their day and bold, attention-grabbing colors! It was so fun when she started saying the action words in the book. One of my favorite bedtime books for newborns even…I had started reading this to her REALLY early.

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I think this author’s books are great and the illustrations are darling always! A great simple book about getting ready for bed for babies and toddlers!

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A short, wonderfully illustrated book about how different animals go to sleep. We got this from the library a bunch when she was a baby and I just recently got it out when she turned 2 and it made it even more fun to talk about the different animals and how they sleep.

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We are big Sandra Boynton fans here — as I’m sure everyone with little ones is! These board books are perfect length for babies and these book is all about these animals getting ready for bed. These silly animals even exercise before bed?? As she got older it was fun to talk about how silly the animals were.

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This is an all time favorite snuggly bed book for us and Riley always giggles during when it comes out. A very cute and snuggly bedtime book for baby! Edited to add: we still read this sometimes at 2 and she knows it by heart, AND BLESS HER SOUL, she does all the kisses to me and it melts my heart.

Related: The Most Heartwarming Picture Books (That Make This Mama Cry EVERY TIME)

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I love this sweet, short little book and it was a favorite of my husband’s to read to Riley before she went to sleep. It’s a sweet little counting story of all the little hugs a baby gets from her daddy in a day and ends with goodnight hugs. Also I am pretty sure that she learned how to identify her numbers around her 2nd birthday somehow thanks to this book and Mommy Hugs below.

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Same concept as above — different things Mommy and baby do during the day leading up to bedtime hugs! This pair of books has been a real hit for Riley!

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As you can see, Sandra Boynton is essential to our bedtime routine when it comes to the reading portion. Putting those jammies on is the focus of this bedtime book! While she might fight putting her pajamas on, she loves watching the animals get their pjs on!

This book has just gotten better with age — it’s been such a fun read for her as a toddler and we do our little pajama time shimmy and I love hearing her say “iiiiiiiit’s pajama time”

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A classic bedtime book for kids! This has been a longtime favorite bedtime reading choice from baby to toddlerhood.

You May Also Like: Best Book Subscription Books For Little Kids

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This one is so sweet and I love the flow of the rhyming as the little polar bear baby sets off on some adventures. Beautiful illustrations too! I started reading this one to her around 1.5 years old and she really took to it immediately!

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I love so many of Mem Fox’s books and this one is a must-have bedtime story! It’s a classic and Riley grew to love it even more the older she’s gotten. Love the rhythm of this one — very soothing for bedtime.

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A really cute lift-the-flap bedtime book — very snuggly and comforting with its rhythm and adorable illustrations.

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This is part of the Global Babies books which Riley loved as a baby and through early toddlerhood. From early on she loved looking at the faces of the babies. No real story just shows bedtime around the world.

Favorite Toddler Bedtime Books

Some of these we totally read when she was an older baby but I felt like she really loved them/understood them as a toddler.

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We started reading this one as a baby but she LOVES it even more as a toddler. Adorable bedtime story about where all the animals sleep! It’s seriously so sweet. Around 18 months Riley loved pointing out all the animals and making the sounds of the ones she knew!

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This book is a fun bedtime story & a great lift-the-flap book! We see some sleepy animals (and a child at the end) and when you lift the flap to see each yawn. Super cute!

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Love this book! Catchy and cute rhyming book all about bedtime that totally reinforces exactly what your kid is doing before bed. One of our favorite board books about bed!

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Another Sandra Boynton but maybe you didn’t know she had a new one out! The publisher kindly sent us a copy of this book to enjoy and it’s SO nice to have another new and fun Boynton bedtime read for us! It’s SO silly and I think it’s the perfect funny bedtime book for toddlers! Love giggling in bed reading this one with her.

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This one is part of a series and this one is a bedtime themed book! It’s a bedtime story about a little boy who is NOT ready for bed yet and each page/flap will tell you one reason why he’s not — all sorts of things in his bedtime routine that he needs to do with his stuffed animals. Great for the bedtime routine!

Related: Best Books For 1 Year Olds

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I don’t envy mama sheep! These little sheepies don’t want to sleep — they want to play longer, they want something to drink, they want cuddles.

Parents will smile at this relatable little story of the mama sheep trying to corral these sheep to sleep and toddlers will LOVE saying “go to sleeeeeeeeep sheeeeep” along with you.

One of my favorite bedtime books for a 1 year old especially as that’s when Riley really got into it & it complemented stuff she was learning. 

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This book is a little longer than the ones above and as a baby I’d get through a couple pages and she would shut the book. So I took it out of our rotation and added it back in around 20 months and she likes it SO MUCH. There is a “sooooo slowwwww” refrain that happens periodically when talking about the sloths that is her favorite part to say with me.

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I am OBSESSED with the Pete the Cat books though if I’m being honest this one is not one of my favorites out of all of them. It’s literally Pete the Cat just singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star but Riley has loved it since she was a baby and it’s a good one in the bedtime book arsenal. Though HIGHLY recommend the other Pete the Cat books more in general.

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I know, I know. You don’t need this song in your head BUT it’s a toddler favorite. This book only came out when she was a toddler but I bet she would have loved the familiar baby shark tune as a baby. Basically just Baby Shark but with a bedtime twist!

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I love the original Little Blue Truck so we were excited to receive, thanks to the publisher, a copy of this for review. If you are looking for a little more of a longer but still simple book with a story for bed, definitely check this one out. Little Blue Truck and friends weather a storm together and then it’s off to bed! One of our new favorite bedtime books for 2 year old Riley! 

You May Also Like: Rain Books For Kids

I hope these bedtime story book recommendations, as well tips & tricks, will be helpful for you with your baby, 1 year old or 2 year old through the years.

So…TELL ME…what are some great bedtime books for infants and toddlers that you and your little one enjoy??? I’m always looking to add some more. And I would definitely take any great bedtime book recommendations for when she gets a little older too! I imagine we will be reading all sorts of things and not just exclusively “bedtime” books but I like to throw in the bedtime themed books for sure.

PIN THESE BEDTIME BOOKS TO READ WITH YOUR CHILD:

P.S. Check out these other picture book recomendations:

• Black and White Books For Newborns and Babies
• Christmas books to read with baby
• Best book subscriptions for kids

What to read to children before going to bed? Review of children's books from Babysleep

30.12.2016

24303

39

Calm Sleep Conditions

Article

Ekaterina Taran

Ekaterina Taran

Senior Consultant, Psychologist, Lecturer

of two children

Parents often face the question of which book to choose for evening reading. Agree, it's nice to pick up a book in a convenient format with beautiful printing, look at the pictures with pleasure, iron the neat binding and the cover, smelling of printing ink. But that's not all that makes a book suitable for bedtime reading. In this article, we show you how to choose a "sleep book" and recommend you the best bedtime books according to BabySleep consultants.

Child's crisis calendar

Always consider the interests of the child and the meaning of the book

The language of the book is very important, because the child must understand what you are reading. Find a book whose character is similar to your baby or is his favorite toy. For a child, the main character is not just a fairy-tale character, he is literally a Hero. It is likely that your baby will do the same things, experience the same emotions and feel the same as the characters in the book. Maybe your kid is delighted with a particular animal, or vice versa, he is interested in technology, or maybe he likes looking at pictures and making up stories more than reading ...

Quality and quantity of illustrations

For the little ones, thick cardboard books are best. Illustrations of any fairy tales before going to bed should be kind, truthful and associated with something calm, pleasant.

Format and binding

Do not purchase heavy or oversized books for children. It is difficult for a child to cope with it on his own, and it will be difficult for him to cover a large page with his eyes.

The most important factor is age. The content of the book should be chosen depending on the age, taking into account the duration of reading.

0–2 years. Beautiful illustrations and short text

Il Sung Na
"Ts-ts-ts... Sleep book"
Publishing house "Vector-Childhood"

The book perfectly prepares the child for sleep and is attractive for children from 1.5 years old. The owl as the main element of the illustration on each page carries an association with sleep and at the same time tells about which of the animals sleeps. And in the morning everyone wakes up (the most beautiful and bright spread with happy little animals). Everything except the owl - she was tired during the night. After reading the book leaves good and positive emotions.

Anna Dewdney
"Llama red pajamas"
Publishing house "Career Press"

A wonderful book with a small rhythmic text. The child learns to understand that if the mother has gone somewhere, she still remembers him and will definitely return, caress and soothe. At the end of the book, there is an excellent ritual of farewell to the baby Lama (kisses and good night wishes), which parents of babies aged 1 year and over can adopt. This book evokes only the most tender feelings!

Rinker Dusky
"Construction, bayushki-bayu"
Publishing house "Career Press"

Is your kid a fan of construction equipment? Then this book is for him! On 32 pages, it is described in poetic form that all the favorite machines (concrete mixer, dump truck, tractor, bulldozer, etc.) worked at a large construction site during the day, and now they also go to bed. And each typewriter can wish good night!

Rinker Dusky
"A wonderful train rushes to sleep"
Career Press Publishing House

An excellent version of a soothing "bedtime story" for children closer to 2 years old, especially if they like trains. All illustrations are in dark blue, and against this background the events unfold. Each page is a separate type of car (freight, platform, sleeping, etc.). Polar bears, monkeys, turtles, elephants and giraffes help to load the cars with much-needed children's goods, and then go to sleep on them. Wonderful poems about the locomotive of dreams!!

Rotrout Suzanne Berner
Night Book
Samokat Publishing House

Night has fallen in the city. People and animals go to bed. But not all. The book has no text, only a lot of pictures that are very interesting to look at. Suitable for the development of imagination and answers to the question "What happens at night?". And at night, amazing events take place in the city. Someone spent the night in a tent, someone caught a thief, and someone attended a holiday. Here is the house. In one apartment, the whole family is already sleeping sweetly in their cozy beds, and in the other, the mother is putting the baby to bed. A neighbor from the 3rd floor sings while taking a bath. And his downstairs neighbor knocks on the ceiling with a mop, hinting to him that it’s too late for the arias. At the station at night, life just boils. Trains come, tourists go on a trip, they can't sleep. The perfect book to chat with your child and come up with interesting stories with him.

Karol Roth
Bedtime Stories
Makhaon Publishing House

This book includes 3 fairy tales. The first one is about Winnie the bunny, who was bored sleeping alone, and he went to friends, asking for a place to sleep, but in the end he was convinced that his bed was the best, and returned home. The second story is about the same hare, how he went to bed, and he dreamed of wolves, and how his mother "chased" them away. The third is about Lenny the lamb, whose mother stayed late and was put to bed by a cow, a cat, a horse, a pig and a duck, but they did everything wrong, and when the mother came, she turned out to be the best. These kind, short, touching, beautifully illustrated fairy tales are perfect for reading to children at night. When going to bed, the kids will ask you to read these fairy tales again and again.

2-4 years. Psychological fairy tales for the most restless

Debi Gliori
"Whatever happens"
Polyandria Publishing House

An unusual book about a fox cub with kind illustrations and deep meaning. Parental love is boundless, and no matter what the child has done, no matter what happens to him, they will never stop loving him less! It is useful for both parents (Big foxes) and children (Little foxes). The book helps to relieve stress and helps to tune in to sleep. After reading it, you will certainly want to cuddle with your little and playful fox!

Waddell Martin
"Why are you not sleeping?"
Polyandria Publishing House

A wonderful book with colorful and cozy pictures, a simple and kind story. The little bear does not want to sleep and is cunning that he is afraid of the dark. Even the 2 flashlights that dad brought him did not help. And Big Bear came up with something so that his son would finally fall asleep. Parents are so creative! Children recognize themselves in this little teddy bear, which is why they love this story so much. Yes, and the winter night itself with twinkling stars and a huge moon - you can look at it for a long time and with pleasure!

Erlin Forssen
"Rabbit who wants to sleep"
Mann, Ivanov & Ferber Publishing House

This is a psychological bedtime story that has been translated into 43 languages. In this story, you go in search of sleep with Roger Bunny and his mother. The wizard Uncle Zeva, the wise Sleepy Owl and the very slow Old Man Snail know how to help you. This incredibly popular fairy tale all over the world was written by a professional psychologist. The book contains recommendations for reading. The book is built on special psychological techniques that help children fall asleep easier and faster every day. Psychologists say: the book is completely safe, and the effect of reading depends on the characteristics of the child. Most children fall asleep halfway through the story.

Rotrout Suzanne Berner
"Good night, Carlchen!"
Melik-Pashaev Publishing House

Cardboard booklet with one story about how dad put his son to bed. Karlchen says goodbye to his mother, brushes his teeth and goes to bed. But the baby does not want to sleep at all. And then dad goes with him on a Big trip on a high-speed slipper train. The first stop is Morkovburg, then the city of Moyburg awaits them. Finally, after many adventures, they arrive at the terminus Spiburg in the children's room. A simple, unpretentious story for children's perception. Kind, child-friendly pencil drawings with many small details that you can pay attention to when reading this story. Recommended for children 2-3 years old.

Gurina, Shkurina, Slavitsky
"Sleepy Tales"
Rech Publishing House

This book contains special psychological tales of modern authors that will help parents put their child to sleep without tears and whims. Quiet meditative stories will calm the most angry child. And fairy tales in which the main characters, like a baby, refuse to sleep, will teach that everything has its time and that sleep can be very pleasant and interesting. Every kid will find their favorite fairy tale here. For example, about the crib that "ran away." Or about Sleepy Splash, who liked to sleep so much that he fell asleep immediately after waking up. Designed for children from 3 years old.

Sheridan Cave
"Where to put the bunny?"
Publishing house "Melik-Pashayev"

Recommended for parents to read to children from 2 to 4 years old. For older children, this book may be suitable for independent reading. The book tells a kind story about how a mother bunny is looking for the best, safest and most comfortable place for her bunny to sleep.

5–6 years old. Tales of Magic

Ulf Stark
"Christmas in the Forest"
Publishing house "Samokat"

A very good New Year's fairy tale about forest animals and a gnome named Buka. A large family of rabbits lives in the forest under an old oak tree: mom, dad, aunt and uncle, grandfather and children - you can’t count them, because they run, scream, jump all the time. Two rabbits, Nina and Nika, find among the leaves and moss a red hat blown away by the wind from a gnome who always comes to the forest at Christmas. But what is Christmas? Squirrels and crows said that Christmas is the most joyful holiday. No one knows how to meet him, but everyone is looking forward to him and preparing for the arrival of the gnome: they compose a joyful song of the gnome, bake goodies, tidy up the house, prepare gifts and dress up a tree in the forest from all sorts of things. The fairy tale teaches to help relatives in difficulties, to be patient and to believe in a miracle. The illustrations are very beautiful, sincere, winter.

Hans Christian Andersen
Ole Lukoye

Let's not forget the classics. The tale of Ole Lukoye is one of Andersen's most famous. Thanks to this fairy tale, many children got acquainted with an amazing creature that bears the usual Danish name - Ole. But the second part of his name means "close your eyes." Ole Lukoye comes to the little children when they go to bed, and sprinkles sweet milk in their faces, and then blows on the top of their heads. The children fall asleep, and Ole begins his wonderful story... It is very comfortable to fall asleep with this book.

7-12 years old. Stories to think about

Rune Belswick
“Simple.
Winter from beginning to end”
Publishing house "Samokat"

The book about Prostodursen consists of three stories: autumn, winter and spring. All three are very beautiful and kind. The narrative is measured and thoughtful. The book covers many important topics. What is loneliness? Friendship? Love? What will I be when I grow up? Is it good abroad? The simplest things are filled with a special meaning and penetrate deep into the soul. The book is suitable for both independent reading and for joint reading on cold winter evenings.

Hoffman E.T.A.
"The Nutcracker and the Mouse King"

This fairy tale has fascinated children and adults over and over again for 200 years. Especially during the winter holidays. Little girl Marie inspires the wooden Nutcracker to exploits, and together they confront the huge army of the mouse king. As a reward for sincere love, a kind heart and selfless courage, their most cherished dreams come true. The Nutcracker becomes a beautiful young man, and Marie becomes his bride. Together they rule a wonderful country of marzipan castles and candied groves.

Gianni Rodari
"Tales on the phone"

The ability to fantasize, imagine, conjecture, imagine is very important for any person. This skill can and should be taught to children as early as possible. "Tales on the Phone" amaze with the richness of fantasy, light humor and optimism. In almost every one you will find the main idea, expressed in aphoristic form, usually at the end of the story. Using the fairy tales of Gianni Rodari, you can, moving from simple to complex, first talk with the child about himself - who he is and what he is. Then you can help him come up with the end of the tale, as the writer suggests. Finally, it is worth inviting the child to compose some funny story himself, using the techniques of an Italian storyteller. The book is aimed at children of primary school age.

Mark Twain
"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"

Wonderful stories about boys! "Tom Sawyer", which was released in 1876, still does not lose its significance. This book is remarkable in terms of the events described: on the one hand, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a rather funny book that describes many of the funny stories from Tom's school life. On the other hand, this book makes you look at life in a real light and learn from every situation.

Mark Twain
The Prince and the Pauper

The Prince and the Pauper is Mark Twain's calling card, a historical novel, ironic and poignant. The story of the poor boy Tom Canty is described in great detail, like two drops of water similar to the spoiled Prince Edward. The boys were destined to randomly switch places. The prince will have to live the life of a simple poor man, and the former poor Tom will have to master life at the royal court. The wonderful thing is that the boys will be able to learn from their adventures, and already returning to their places to realize what life really is. A topic that is relevant at all times!

Reading before going to bed has long been an excellent ritual that sets the child to rest and unites children and parents who, at the time of reading a fairy tale, are transported to a fantasy world and distracted from their worries. Remember that a bedtime story will have a greater effect if you read it in a quiet, calm voice, and choose stories by age. For impressionable kids, it is especially important that the story is kind and not very "experiential", and even better that the story is about a dream, as in our review.

Do you read bedtime stories to your children? Please share in the comments which of the fairy tales your kids like the most?

#ritual#books

Best Bedtime Reading Books for Kids

Contents

1. Sleepy Selection: 10 Bedtime Books for Kids
2. Llama Red Pajamas
3. Sleep, Dragon, bye-bye!
4. When the heels fall asleep
5. Where does sleep wander?
6. Good night
7. Construction site, lullabies
8. Sleepy tales
9. Rabbit who wants to sleep. Fairy tale to help parents
10. Little fairy can't sleep
11. I don't want to sleep! A Tale for Little Owls
12. More Bedtime Reading Books for Kids
13. Useful Links

The best bedtime books for kids: what soothing books to read at night before bed to help your child fall asleep.

Not all babies fall asleep equally . There are mothers who do not know what problems with getting to sleep are: tired - fell asleep. But still, most babies fall asleep with difficulty.

Form the “correct” sleep associations , come up with your own sleep ritual — a regular routine before going to bed. For example: bathing, feeding, turning off the lights together, lullabies, sleep books, putting toys to bed, saying goodbye to loved ones and various objects. If you see signs of fatigue, so as not to “interrupt sleep” and not cause overexcitation, the ritual can be neglected.

If your baby does not sleep well, book-sleeping ritual will help you : try to organize the reading of stories at the same time. Choose books that are related to sleep or will be calm in plot so that the child does not get overexcited.

Sleepy Selection: 10 Bedtime Books for Kids

Here are a few soothing books with an interesting but not too fast-paced storyline, suitable for reading to children at night before bed.

The difficulty with putting young children to bed is that immaturity makes them very dependent on caregivers. They perceive going to bed as a separation, and this causes anxiety.

Lama red pajamas

Little Lama used to go to bed with his mother. But she is busy with something today and left the Lama alone. He starts to worry. Recognized world bestseller and winner of many awards. Including included in the list of "100 best books for children" (Scholastic Parent and Child).

Below you can read the text of the poem, but 95% of the book's success lies in brilliant illustrations, vivid experiences reflected in the eyes of the little Lama and a sense of peace at the end.

👉 Read book reviews

Show hidden content

Lama red pajamas
I listened to the tale of Lama Mama.
Mom hugged Lama,
Turned off the light. Gone.

The Lama has become lonely...
He wants to snuggle up to his mother.
Wants a fairy tale... and compote...
But mother has a job.

No, little Lama can't sleep.
He called softly to his mother.
"I'm going," my mother said.
But little Lama is excited.

Little Lama is listening,
Is Lama mother in a hurry?
Mom doesn't come for a long time,
Little Lama is worried.

Llama red pajamas
Quietly whimpers - where is mom?
Mom's phone rings,
Lama's stomach growls.

Little Lama is restless.
Village And he thinks about his mother.
Where did mom go?
Did you fall into the clutches of a monster?

Llama red pajamas
What is urine shouted: "Mom!"
Lama stomped, got angry.
Lama jumped, got angry.

Llama red pajamas
In the dark. One. Without mom.
He huddles under the covers...
If mother DOES NOT COME BACK?

Lama red pajamas
Whining, howling: where is mother?
Lama burst into tears:
Come soon, MOM!

What kind of performance is this?
Well, where is your patience?
Lama's mother has things to do,
And there is no need to do drama.

You know, little Lama,
Mother loves you dearly.
Mom thinks about Lama,
If busy with business.

My dear, beloved,
Mom will kiss you!
Let mom stroke the paw.
Little Lama sleeps sweetly.

Sleep, Drakosha, bye-bye!

Shhh! The most harmful Dragon has just fallen asleep... Do not wake her up! So that Drakosha does not suddenly wake up. We don't want to wake her up, do we?

To prevent the Dragon from waking up, the baby needs to carefully turn over the pages, lull the restless beast, which is a very light sleeper. Cozy reading in the evening will help the child fall asleep easily and quickly.

Books of the Drakosha series for children aged 2-5 have already been translated into 12 languages ​​of the world.

👉 Watch the book on the publisher's website

When the heels fall asleep

illustrations about sleep.

Show hidden content

Do you know how squirrels fall asleep?
First, their tails fall asleep.

Do you know how zebras sleep?
First, the strips fall asleep.

And tigers, how do tigers sleep?
At first, their growling falls asleep!

Tell me how the lions fall asleep.
Their shaggy mane falls asleep.

Do you know how a bear sleeps?
Mighty paws fall asleep.

Do you know how foxes fall asleep?
Red muzzles fall asleep.

How do hares fall asleep at night?
Their sensitive ears fall asleep.

Do you know how hedgehogs fall asleep?
First, all their needles fall asleep.

How do crocodiles sleep at night?
Their terrible teeth fall asleep!

Do you know how an owl falls asleep?
The owl's big eyes go to sleep...

- Wow! - cried the owl - and no.
Fled into the night,
And the feathers swirl.

Do you know how an eagle sleeps?
His proud beak falls asleep.

How do walruses sleep on an ice floe?
At first, their mustaches fall asleep.

Do you know how dogs fall asleep?
At first, their wet nose falls asleep.

How do cats fall asleep, meow?
Their flexible back falls asleep.

Do you know how children fall asleep?
Soft heels fall asleep,

Toes and then knees,
Back, tummy and then the handles.
The head is sleeping, and the eyes are closed.

Where does sleep roam?

Kitten Jacques couldn't sleep, so he thought that his sleep had been stolen. He learned that the dream was lost not only from him, but also from his friends, together they go in search. But can they find it?

A touching story in verse will help the baby fall asleep and will tell you a few secrets of creating a sleepy atmosphere.

👉 Buy the book on the publisher's website

Good night

A collection of children's stories based on meditative practices that will relieve emotional stress before going to bed and improve mood. Cute heroes will calm the baby and give him pleasant dreams.

Total 15 sleepy tales for children 3-5 years old.

👉 Watch the book on the publisher's website

Construction site, bayushka

Every child likes to look at cars. Especially if they are beautiful. In the reviews, you can read that the book fell in love not only with boys, but also with girls. And not only in Russia, but also in the world.

"Bayushka-Bayu Construction" - the number one nightly reading book by the New York Times. “A wonderful train rushes to sleep” is another book by the same authors. Wonderful verses about the locomotive of dreams. Polar bears, monkeys and turtles, elephants and giraffes help load his wagons with unusual cargo, and then go to sleep on it.

👉 Books by Sherry Dusky Rinker on Labyrinth.

Sleepy tales

A collection of special psychological tales by I. Gurina, I. Slavitsky and M. Shkurina, which will help parents put their child to sleep without tears and whims.

Quiet, meditative stories will calm even the most angry child. And fairy tales in which the main characters, like a baby, refuse to sleep, will teach that everything has its time and that sleep can be very pleasant and interesting.

👉 Read book reviews

A rabbit that wants to sleep. Fairy tale to help parents

The fairy tale popular all over the world (and its sequels about Baby Elephant and Tractor Baby) relieves tension and gently puts the child to sleep thanks to special techniques based on Erickson's hypnosis method. These bedtime books have been translated into 43 languages. 1.6 million copies sold worldwide.

The little fairy can't sleep

The little fairy named Floria can't sleep. It is a warm summer night, the moon is shining brightly, and Floria goes for a walk in the night forest. It turns out that many inhabitants of the forest have not gone to bed tonight, and even the Sandman needs to collect twice as much magic sleepy sand as usual in order for the children to finally fall asleep . ..

Bedtime books with such beautiful but dim illustrations are the best choice.

👉 Reviews about the book

I don't want to sleep! Fairy tale for little owlets

Therapeutic fairy tale from the Useful Tales series, published by Peter.

Little cockerel Styopa is a real "owlet". His brothers and sisters have been sleeping for a long time, and he does not close his eyes. There are so many interesting things around, but it's boring to sleep! “Why go to bed if you get up again in the morning?” he straightens up. But one night he dreamed of this, after which he decided to always go to bed and get up before everyone else. Do you want to know what happened to him? Get comfortable! It's time for a good fairy tale from mommy kitty.

More books to read before bed for children

If there is not enough material from the personal TOP 10 children's books before bed, tested on the children of the author, and our tastes differ, use this list:

• Little Bobo's Adventures . Stories in pictures for the little ones . Seven simple stories for kids, at the end of each of which the main character - a small sleepy animal Bobo - falls asleep. From myself: not too beautiful pictures from the point of view of parents and the tremendous success of the book in children under 3 years old. For us, this is just a magical and iconic book. See reviews of Labyrinth.
• Bayushki-bayu. Russian folk rhymes . Favorite nursery rhymes (not only about sleep) are framed by drawings in a fabulous Russian style, with colorful letters. For lovers of baby classics. See pictures.
• Going to bed . A cardboard book from the cartoon series “ Pieces of Wood ”, familiar to kids. Link to the book
• Good night, Planet! Interesting comic book with brilliant illustrations. But the text is so small that it may have to be thought out, as in the case of Wimmelbuchs. See reviews of the book here.
• The one that… A bedtime book for naughty girls. This is a playbook about a naughty boy! The one who bit, who kicked, who butted! But because he did not want to sleep, like many children. On each page, the main character is a hooligan, and readers play with him, following the prompts. For daily activities with the baby, there are additional tips for working with the book - tasks for counting, getting to know color, attention and logic.
• Little Mouse lost his sleep... Mom put the little Mouse to bed, hugged and kissed him before going to sleep. But here's the annoyance, no matter how hard the Mouse tries, he can't sleep. He comes to his mother for advice. A wise mother offers him various activities that can help him. And read a book, and count all the cakes that he could eat, and remember all the names of the berries that are found in sweets. At the end of the story, the little Mouse will fall asleep sweetly. Personally, I don't like pictures, but it's a matter of taste . Watch a book.
• Dodo donkey goes to bed . The book is dedicated to the little good friends of every kid - soft toys. They are so small that you can always take them with you, and falling asleep, it is so sweet to squeeze them in your arms. From the series Bedtime Stories published by Hobbitek.
• Good night! Big book of bedtime stories. A plump book for reading before bed: a collection of fascinating, kind stories. The book includes four beautifully illustrated fairy tales, creating an atmosphere of silence, comfort and magical mystery.
• My book wants to sleep . An unusual book that sets a task for the child: put the book to bed! Read reviews
• Hunt for sleep! Sleepy tale with audio tale . A little fox and his dad go on the most difficult hunt in the world... Hunt for a dream! They have to learn many tricks and secrets before sleep finds its way to their house.

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