Reading to children is important. Not only does it provide a quiet and bonding time with your child but it will help them develop a love for reading and provide them with a valuable skill they will use their entire lives. One of the best times to read to children is right before bed. It will help them wind down for the day and they will look forward to that special time each night. Candlewick Press has a great selection of books specifically for bedtime reading:
- Tuck Me In!
by Dean Hacohen & Sherry Scharschmidt- The bright illustrations in this book along with the interactive aspect makes it a hit with the toddler crowd. Each pages features a baby animal needing to be tucked into bed with a special “blanket page”. - Moon Dreamsby Ruth Martin – Little Luna wonders where the moon goes during the day and dreams each night about where it could possibly be when the sun is out. Her imagination takes her on many journeys as she sleeps.
- Interrupting Chickenby David Ezra Stein-A favorite joke inspired this charming tale, in which a little chicken’s habit of interrupting bedtime stories is gleefully turned on its head.
- Switching on the Moon: A Very First Book of Bedtime Poems Collected by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters- a collection of bedtime poems from around the world.
- A Bedtime for Bear by Bonnie Becker- Mouse sleeps over at Bear’s house but bear, with his bedtime ritual firmly in place, insists on absolute silence. Mouse keeps disturbing bear, keeping him awake. Finally Mouse drifts of to sleep but bear hears a noise and wakes him and insists that Mouse check under the bed and around the room, then tells him a bedtime story about a brave bear and frightened mouse.
by Dean Hacohen & Sherry Scharschmidt- The bright illustrations in this book along with the interactive aspect makes it a hit with the toddler crowd. Each pages features a baby animal needing to be tucked into bed with a special “blanket page”.
by Ruth Martin – Little Luna wonders where the moon goes during the day and dreams each night about where it could possibly be when the sun is out. Her imagination takes her on many journeys as she sleeps.
by David Ezra Stein-A favorite joke inspired this charming tale, in which a little chicken’s habit of interrupting bedtime stories is gleefully turned on its head.
Collected by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters- a collection of bedtime poems from around the world.
by Bonnie Becker- Mouse sleeps over at Bear’s house but bear, with his bedtime ritual firmly in place, insists on absolute silence. Mouse keeps disturbing bear, keeping him awake. Finally Mouse drifts of to sleep but bear hears a noise and wakes him and insists that Mouse check under the bed and around the room, then tells him a bedtime story about a brave bear and frightened mouse.
My three year old son’s favorite from these is Tuck Me In because the words are simple enough that he knows the book by heart and can “read” it on his own. He frequently asks for me to leave this book in bed with him so he can look at it before he turns out his light. Personally, I love the illustrations in Tuck Me In, especially all of the fun patterns on each animal’s blanket.
My one year old daughter on the other hand, loves Switching on the Moon. She tends to like books like these rather than stories and she’ll sit and look at the pages for awhile on her own. She seeks this book out when we tell her it’s story time.
I enjoy reading all of the books to my kids at bedtime and these selections provide a good variety. No matter which stories you choose to read to your children, make sure you make it a priority to read to them and everyone will benefit!
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