We do a lot of reading here, and bedtime is no different. Drake has many books but we usually end up reading many of the same ones over and over before we move on. Recently the books Drake seems most attached to and wants read to him all have to deal with bedtime, so I thought I would share some of our favorite bedtime books at the moment.  We usually read at least one of these per night, if not more.


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1) The Going to Bed Book –  We have had this book since Drake was first born. It was a gift from his grandmother (who has always been a fan of Boynton’s soothing rhymes) and his first Sandra Boynton book (the one that lead to us having a shelf full of Boynton books).  When Drake was a baby this was always the last book we read to him as part of his bed time routine, and recently he always wants to hear this one last. Drake practically knows this one by heart by now and will often say the next rhyme before we get there. If you’re a fan of Boynton, it’s one to add to your shelf.

2) Sweet Dreams Lullaby – This is a newer purchase and one I actually bought for Chocolate Baby. I knew the writer, Betsy E. Snyder, as Drake has a few of her other books and picked this up on my last trip to Barnes and Noble, but Drake found the bag and quickly claimed it for his room. I liked the sweet rhyming message of the story about a little bunny getting ready for bed.  Drake likes the illustrations, especially the star constellations in the front and back of the book.  I like the idea of reading this to both my kids as they drift off into dreamland.

3) Nighty Night– I picked this one up in the $1 section of Target a while ago along with a few other books done in the same style with the Sesame Street characters.  The book is short and sweet and talks about how several of the Sesame characters need something special to help them go to bed. It’s a quick read so if Drake wants to squeeze in one extra book, we usually choose this one since it’s fast and what kid says no to an Elmo book?

4) Good Morning Good Night– This is a touch a feel book.  Every page has a new animal greet the day and then the next side has them getting ready for bed after a long busy day. Drake likes opening the flaps and touching the animals and saying good night to them as we go turn the pages.  The last character is a little girl and you tuck her in under a blanket after a fun filled day outside.

5) Jolly Jungle– This is a pop up book so naturally a crowd pleaser for young children.  The pop ups are actually quite elaborate and delicate, with a little rhyme about each animal as they go about their day from morning to noon to night time.  At the end it talks about how busy the animal’s day was and how they wish they could stay up to play at bedtime.  There are other books in the series I think and I might get Drake another one once I can trust he won’t be so rough with the pop ups.

6) Harold and the Purple Crayon– This is a new book for Drake as I just gave it to him for his birthday. I knew immediately that he would take to it and he has as we have read it faithfully every night since he received it.   Drake loves coloring so I knew he would love the story of a boy and his crayon adventures. As we read and Harold draws things, I ask Drake to tell me what he sees and it helps him continue to be engaged in the story.  His favorite is the city full of windows and when Harold tucks himself into bed, the purple crayon resting on the floor beside him.  I actually didn’t know that there were more stories of Harold besides this one, but now that I see how much Drake enjoys this one I will probably be ordering a few more Harold adventures to add to our growing book shelf.

7) Goodnight Gorilla– I bought this book for Drake when he was very small as I read it when I was nannying for another family years ago.  I liked that there weren’t a lot of words so I could expand on the pictures and create a more full story on my own. Now that Drake is older I can ask him questions about what the animals are doing, making the story more engaging and interesting for us both. It’s also nice to hear what he sees when looking at the pictures, as well as what he thinks the story is about. I am thinking of getting a few more books with no or few words in them so that I can hear more of his own imagination and story telling. I think at 3 this is the perfect age to increase his creativity and stretch his imagination and this book has definitely helped and shown me that.

8) Good Night Moon– This is a classic book and a staple of most children’s bed time books. Most kids seems to love the simple story and Drake is no different, as he loves saying good night to all the objects in the book.  When we finish reading he often looks around his room and says good night to all the things he sees.

Does your little one have a favorite bed time book we should add to our collection?