Good Night Like This

Bedtime stories are a staple in most households with children, and I'm guessing yours is no exception. Most of us look for books that will have a calming effect at the end of the day, to make sure our children feel cozy and safe as they drift off to sleep. Good Night Like This, by Mary Murphy, is a perfect choice. Murphy has authored over a dozen children's books, and this one has such an appealing cover that it would be difficult not to pick it up and take a peek inside. Her signature illustrations are very sweet, with bold outlines and delicate colors which graduate from sunset to soft moonlight through the pages as different animal families show how and where they settle down for the night.

The rhyming text is simple but effectively soothing, and could almost be sung. A squirrel shows its baby how all the other animals are preparing for a night's slumber; alternating half-pages hide the sleeping animals and provide an interactive element to complement the words. "Yawny and dozy, twitchy and cozy" rabbits say goodnight as a bunny is held close, while ducks cuddled in their nest are "tickly and feathery in any old weathery.” As night falls, a mama cat and her kittens become "snorey and furry, stretchy and purry.” Finally, the squirrel lulls its baby to sleep "like this.”

A child's bedtime ritual should be relaxed and loving, and Goodnight Like This fits the bill. So often we know how tired our little ones are at night, but they just need a little help making their way to dreamyland. You may even find yourself taking a tiny catnap after reading it!

Guest post by Bridget W.

Good Night, Truck

For all of the transportation-loving little ones out there, Good Night, Truck by Sally Odgers is sure to be a hit! This rhyming bedtime book features a truck, tractor, digger, boat, and even a rocket. Your child will love seeing each vehicle get its work done during the day at the beginning of the book, and then find its place to rest for the night at the end of the story. You’ll love all of the rhyming text that will help your child hear the smaller sounds in words, an important pre-reading skill. This book is a win for everyone!

How Do YOU Say Goodnight?

What starts out as a seemingly informative bedtime story quickly turns into something much sillier. The first few pages of Lori Joy Smith’s new book, The Goodnight Book, show children around the world being tucked in to bed and told: “goodnight,” “bonne nuit,” and “buenas noches.” The rest of the pages, however, feature silly-looking animals from “far off places” who say things like: “fleep dreams,” “took a boo,” and “darken oy.” The illustrations are what drew me in immediately to this book, but the silliness is what kept me around. This is a great, short bedtime story for some end-of-the-day giggles. It might just even inspire you to create your own, unique way of saying “goodnight!”

All The Awake Animals Are Almost Asleep

Everyone loves a cozy bedtime book. Whether children or adults, we take great pleasure in climbing into bed and snuggling under the blankets to read, especially at this time of year. And when the volume we bring with us is especially worthy of our attention, all the better.

Children’s book veterans Crescent Dragonwagon and David McPhail have teamed up and produced one of those rare gems in All The Awake Animals Are Almost Asleep. As with so many books about bedtime, a child is not quite ready for slumber, but mother gently encourages making an attempt anyway. She lovingly points out that every creature has a time to be awake and a time to sleep, and proceeds to describe a number of familiar (and some not-so-common) animals’ methods of getting cozy for the night.

The beautiful alliterative text doubles as an alphabet book, punctuated by McPhail’s warm, soothing ink and watercolor illustrations of baby and adult animals finding their night’s resting place. Each does it in a uniquely personal way ~ “Frog just floats, letting her feet flop until they find firm footing near the ferns”, and “Otter, overcome, is out in the ocean, rocking on and on, oh-so-gently”.  Sweet but intelligent poetry begins and ends the story, and my guess is that children will want to hear it again and again, hoping they can make it to the last page before finding their own eyelids heavy with sleep. Guest post by Bridget W.