Bedtime Books for Rowdy Kids Who Just Won’t Go to Sleep
As someone who used to stay up reading under the covers with a flashlight, I fully understand that many children will not be quite ready for bed when bedtime rolls around. Some children have a LOT of energy, and a bedtime story that acknowledges that energy (with some laughs to go along) can go a long way towards settling them down. Plus, getting to read together before bed is a great way to establish a habit, making reading and books a daily part of your child’s life. Even today, I still use reading as a nightly way to transition from the busy world around us to the world of dreams. Helping your child establish that habit will be a lifelong gift, and a great excuse to read some extraordinarily silly books aloud. For those marathon nights when you need more than just a single bedtime story to get the job done, check out these fantastic read alouds. You and your rowdy young reader will be ready to sleep in no time!
This soothing bedtime story celebrates imagination as a way to help alleviate a child’s bedtime jitters. It is a gentle reminder to children that comfort is always within reach.
When the sun sets, the ballet can begin! From the first notes of the crickets’ outdoor orchestra to her grand finale indoors, one little girl glissés and jetés her way to bedtime. Rhyming verse, fun sound effects and elegant French words add delicious read-aloud flair to this delightful, dance-filled tale.
Little Bunny can’t sleep! There’s so much to think and wonder about, big and small. But with a nudge from Mommy, Little Bunny discovers that sometimes our thoughts can be turned into happy dreams . . . where anything is possible.
Debut author and illustrator Leah Hong’s tender drawings and gentle dialogue between mother and child sing a modern lullaby for anyone who has trouble falling asleep—or whose imagination has soared at bedtime.
Debut author and illustrator Leah Hong’s tender drawings and gentle dialogue between mother and child sing a modern lullaby for anyone who has trouble falling asleep—or whose imagination has soared at bedtime.
Nothing can stop little dinosaur-not talking grownups, spaghetti, or even bath time. But what happens when he faces the biggest challenge of all? Bedtime?
With spare text and irresistible dinosaur roaaars, little dinosaurs will be begging for this book to be read again and again.
When it was quiet, Little Snow grinned and then jumped, jumped, jumped!
Little Snow loves the new big, soft bed Mommy made him for the long, cold winter nights. But Mommy says this bed is for sleeping, not jumping! What happens when he can’t resist jump, jump, jumping on his new fluffy, bouncy bed?
Bestselling and award-winning author Grace Lin artfully introduces young readers to their first snow through striking illustrations and heartwarming moments.
Little Snow loves the new big, soft bed Mommy made him for the long, cold winter nights. But Mommy says this bed is for sleeping, not jumping! What happens when he can’t resist jump, jump, jumping on his new fluffy, bouncy bed?
Bestselling and award-winning author Grace Lin artfully introduces young readers to their first snow through striking illustrations and heartwarming moments.
Roderick hates going to bed, and the young boy has become quite resourceful in coming up with ways to delay the dreaded hour when the lights must go out. Roderick’s loving parents—fed up with the distractions and demands that have become his anti-bedtime ritual—decide to get him a stuffed animal to cuddle with and help him wind down. However, Sleepy quickly proves to be a bit high-maintenance. Just when we fear the night may never end, Sleepy’s antics become too exhausting for Roderick to bear.
Every observant young reader will point again and again to the answer to Owl’s persistent question, laughing all along the way. From the creator of The Watermelon Seed comes another pitch-perfect tale that’s empowering, engaging, and entertaining.
When his three rambunctious robots give every possible excuse not to go to sleep, what’s a little boy to do? With a fun refrain that will have readers of all ages chanting along, here’s a book that kids will be begging to read every night before bed.
