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Ten Best Bedtime Stories for Children

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best bedtime stories

best bedtime stories

One of my favourite things about parenting right from the start was that special time right before sleep when cuddles are plentiful and it’t time to read together. Even before we adopted both of our girls I romanticized this idea of reading to our children one day. I think that I was hopeful I would be able to share my love of reading with a little person one day. Happily, when the kids came along, we enjoyed so many great books together. Sometimes I still read to them even though they are now 10 and 13. Bedtime is still one of my favourite times to connect and share bedtime stories.

Is a story part of your bedtime routine? Reading a book with the kids is a great way to wind down, when it is time to get tucked in. Some books are just right for bedtime. The books listed below are perfect for bedtime, because they are all about going to bed. Ten stories about bedtime, for bedtime that are under $10:

1. A Book of Sleep

2. The Going-To-Bed Book

3. Time for Bed

4. Love You Forever

5. Snoozers : 7 Short Short Bedtime Stories for Lively Little Kids

6. It’s Time to Sleep, My Love

7. Kiss Good Night (Sam Books)

8. Good Night, Gorilla

9. I Love to Sleep in My Own Bed (Bedtime stories book collection) (Volume 1)

10. Little Owl’s Night

Tales From the Treehouse: Olivia Goes To Venice

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Just in time for Christmas comes the cute new Olivia book. Olivia Goes To Venice is the funny story of Olivia’s first big trip on a plane. In Venice she and her family eat too much gelato and they visit the sights. It isn’t long before Olivia the funny, quirky little pig with a mind of her own and a whole lot of style, leaves her indelible imprint on the ancient city of Venice. We welcomed her here at Tales From The Treehouse.

Thriftymommastips gives this one a $$$$$ out of $$$$$. Perfect for Christmas and all the Olivias you know. Thriftymommastips received a copy of the book to review. The opinions in this blog are all our own.

Olivia Goes To Venice, by Ian Falconer, published by Athenuem, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, age 3 to 7, $17.99 US, $19.99 Canadian. Hardcover picture book, 2010.

Red In The Flower Bed: An Interracial Adoption Story and Blog Tour

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Red In The Flower Bed is a sweet, imaginative and yet simple twist on a child’s adoption story. I am an adoptive parent of two children, an adoption advocate, speaker and writer and our home library is more than full of books that are for all ages and stages of the adoption journey. But, this one had a new twist I’d not yet seen which is why I recommend it. Andrea Nepa has taken a seed as a metaphor and while that might seem logical and simplistic, I haven’t actually seen it used in this manner. The seed is a lovely metaphor for an adopted child. While this book specifically tackles interracial adoption, I felt it missed the marketing mark here and limited itself. If you look at this as a story of any adoptee, it makes sense and appeals to a wider audience in my opinion. The child is like the seed of a poppy here, blowing in the wind, carried to a different pasture. The pasture is an obvious reference to the family created by adoption. This story is aimed at 3 to 6 year olds and is reliant on rhyme and cute cutout style pictures. “So there among the violet, rose and marigold the little black dot settled into her spot.”  What a surprise she will be when she blooms and is a bright red poppy in a field of predictable colours. Red In the Flower Bed is a nice addition to anyone’s adoption library. It is a gentle, sensitive story. Red in The Flower Bed is a nice alternative to the many animal metaphors and characters that are often used to explore themes of differences and adoption in children’s fiction. This story is clever and a good way to work the topic of adoption onto your bookshelf and into your child’s life.

Red In the Flower Bed is by Andrea Nepa, published by Tribute Books, December 2008 in the United States, retails for $11.65, also available as an ebook for Kindle.

The opinions in this blog are all my own. I received a copy of this book to read for review.

So Many Days: Tales From The Treehouse Part 2

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This is our latest read: So Many Days, a lovely children’s book about feelings and exploring and potential. The book is So Many Days by Alison McGhee, illustrations Taeeun Yoo, New York Simon and Schuster, Athenuem, 2010, $18.99, US, $15.99 Canada. It gets a four out of five ($$$$ out of $$$$$.)  McGhee is the New York Times best-selling author of SomeDay.

So Many Days is a sweet little story with a cute androgenous character and simple verse showing the many ways children can explore and interact with the greater environment. I loved that the main character could be a boy or a girl and that he or she is described as brave and wild and loved, and all things that children need to hear to grow strong and healthy and safe in their own skin. Books that encourage children to explore and understand feelings are always worthwhile reads. Also this one encourages children to feel powerful. It is a simple verse that older kids can read confidently.