With three kids, bedtime at my house is usually nuts. When we strike gold with a great bedtime read that’s funny or cozy, or better yet, BOTH, it becomes part of our permanent rotation. I love finding books that make my kids excited about story time (and just maybe encourage them to get through their bedtime routines a little faster). As a children’s picture book author, my own books are inspired by my kids’ everyday lives, and sleep, or lack thereof, is a topic that I always find so very relatable!
I love this book because it’s not your typical sleepy-time bedtime story. It’s silly and loud, with mentions of monster trucks and guitar solos. It might not have my kids yawning, but it will have them excited to read before bed.
If I’m ever struggling to get my kids to bed (so, most nights), reading a fun book like this always helps to get them zipping through their bedtime routines a little faster.
Attention, readers-this book is going to help you fall right asleep! No, seriously. It's going to make you so tired. Monsters crash through the pages! Electric guitars jam out all night! Counting sheep that are being chased by DRAGONS! Are you asleep yet? No? Hmm . . . let's try something else . . .
This hilarious story from #1 New York Times-bestselling author Jory John and acclaimed illustrator Olivier Tallec will show energetic little ones so many different methods of falling asleep that they just might get tired after all!
This book is my all-time favorite bedtime story for toddlers. Just thinking about this book has me yawning already.
It’s silly AND sleepy, with illustrations my kids always giggle at (I'm looking at you, animals wearing PJs that are too small.) It’s also rhythmic and rhyming and ends with a dreamy illustration of a boat rocking gently on the waves. This is a classic in my house!
Getting ready for sleep is tons of fun in this Sandra Boynton classic.
The sun has set not long ago. Now everybody goes below to take a bath in one big tub with soap all over-SCRUB SCRUB SCRUB!
This classic bedtime story is just right for winding down the day as a joyful, silly group of animals scrub scrub scrub in the tub, brush and brush and brush their teeth, and finally rock and rock and rock to sleep.
This is another funny pick that gets my kids giggling.
The main character is a butterfly with an endless amount of questions and plenty of excuses about why they can’t sleep (hmm…reminds me VERY MUCH of some children I know…). Butterfly’s friend Porcupine has good suggestions for Butterfly (and anyone else who needs to get to sleep already!) to try.
“Everyone’s favorite frantic insect is back . . . this time trying to sleep.” — Kirkus Reviews This laugh-out-loud companion to The Very Impatient Caterpillar and The Little Butterfly That Could is perfect for bedtime—or any time! A delightful complement to the classic, Goodnight, Moon!
"Who needs to sleep at night, anyway? There’s so much I’d miss! I’ll just be nocturnal too. What do you think?" "I think we need to get you back to sleep." Readers will laugh themselves silly as they learn to find their inner calm and settle for sleep—even when they wake in the night—as they…
My kids and I both love this book, which is a huge plus when reading at bedtime!
The story follows a procession of characters in their PJs on a whimsical nighttime stroll. It could be read as a chant or a song, and we all find ourselves pleasantly humming the rhythm long after we’ve finished storytime.
Join a cast of friends, human and animal alike, as they embark on a musical read-aloud adventure in this upbeat, joyful picture book.
A boy sets off with his flute and his stuffed bear and a rum-pum-pum. As they make their way through the town and the woods, they ask, “Wanna come?” Soon, kids and creatures join in the fun one by one, playing instruments, singing, and dancing to the catchy tune.
But will a storm bring their fun-filled musical parade to an end?
To me, this book has a great combination of sleepy and silly elements. The illustrations are warm and cozy, and throughout the book, Bear snores happily in the background.
My kids and I love that while Bear sleeps, a party starts forming in his cave. We love seeing the party grow until Bear wakes up to discover what’s going on.
It seems like Bear can sleep through anything. As a succession of animals enter his cave to escape the fierce storm, he continues to snore. Mouse makes a nice warm fire, Hare cooks popcorn and Badger brings treats... They are having a great time. But when Bear wakes up and realises he's missed out on the fun, his visitors fear the worst.Can Bear be persuaded to join the party? This read-aloud rhyming story has fun, suspense and a happy ending - with Jane Chapman's beautiful, captivating illustrations and Karma Wilson's absorbing, lyrical words perfectly depicting the companionship of the warm,…
My book is a funny tribute to the exhausting work of raising an infant, told from Baby’s point of view.
Baby can't help but wonder why Mommy never gets any sleep. She’s always awake and seemingly ready to play. Maybe Mommy doesn’t sleep because she lost her paci? Or she’s really hungry—or maybe she’s too gassy? Could the reason be not such a big mystery after all? Mommy looks so sleepy that Baby ends the story by offering some wise and witty advice about how to get to sleep (since he is the expert, of course!).
I have been to, and loved, North, Central, and especially East Africa for over fifty years. Only six times have I been to Africa on holiday; more often, perhaps twenty or more times, as a television producer. Working in Africa gains a perspective of reality that the glories of vacation do not. Each has its place, each its pitfalls like stalled plane rides with emergency landings in the bush or attacks by wildlife. But, in the end, the magic of the “otherness,” what an old friend called “primitava” captures one’s soul and changes your life.
Keen to rekindle their love of East African wildlife adventures after years of filming, extreme dangers, and rescues, producer Pero Baltazar, safari guide Mbuno Waliangulu, and Nancy Breiton, camerawoman, undertake a filming walking adventure north of Lake Rudolf, crossing from Kenya into Ethiopia along the Omo River, following a herd of elephant making their annual migration.
Stumbling onto an elephant poaching, the team become embroiled in true financing of terrorism for al Shabaab –ivory sales–and are determined to stop the slaughter at any cost. Ivory trade financing terrorism involves UN refugee camps with two hundred thousand displaced Somali persons, powerful…
A documentary team hiking through East Africa collides with a gang of deadly poachers, in this gripping adventure by the author of Kidnapped on Safari.
Years of filming, extreme dangers, and daring rescues have taken their toll on documentary producer Pero Baltazar and his team. To relax and reconnect with the East African wildlife they love, Pero organizes a walking safari for him, his camerawoman Nancy Breiton, and their elite guide Mbuno Waliangulu. Still, Pero has trouble truly disconnecting from work. When the team comes across a herd of elephants making their annual migration north of Lake Rudolf, Pero decides…
