A Big Bed for Little Snow


Grace Lin - 2019
    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?

The Full Moon at the Napping House


Audrey Wood - 2015
    It's not until a tiny musical visitor offers up a soothing song does the menagerie settle down, and finally everyone is off to dreamland. With a perfectly crafted text and stunning paintings, Audrey and Don Wood reveal once again why they are picture book creators of the highest order. The Full Moon at the Napping House, the highly anticipated follow-up to their beloved classic The Napping House, is the ideal book to share at bedtime or anytime.

Grandma's Purse


Vanessa Brantley-Newton - 2018
    You never know what she'll have in there--fancy jewelry, tokens from around the world, or something special just for her granddaughter. It might look like a normal bag from the outside, but Mimi and her granddaughter know that it's pure magic!In this adorable, energetic ode to visits from grandma, beloved picture book creator Vanessa Brantley Newton shows how an ordinary day can become extraordinary."Brantley-Newton creates a whimsical interplay of patterns, rich color, and her trademark lively expressions--a beautiful visual mélange. The magic of grandparents is undeniable, and this book is an excellent treat for grandkids to share with their own grandmas and grandpas, or the other way around."--Kirkus"Brantley-Newton's vividly colorful images paint the happiness the little girl feels in her grandmother's presence. A strong intergenerational choice for any picture book collection."--SLJ

Bedtime Bonnet


Nancy Redd - 2020
    This joyous and loving celebration of family is the first-ever picture book to highlight Black nighttime hair traditions--and is perfect for every little girl who knows what it's like to lose her bonnet just before bedtime. In my family, when the sun goes down, our hair goes up!My brother slips a durag over his locs.Sis swirls her hair in a wrap around her head.Daddy covers his black waves with a cap.Mama gathers her corkscrew curls in a scarf.I always wear a bonnet over my braids, but tonight I can't find it anywhere!Bedtime Bonnet gives readers a heartwarming peek into quintessential Black nighttime hair traditions and celebrates the love between all the members of this close-knit, multi-generational family.Perfect for readers of Hair Love and Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut

Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration


Samara Cole Doyon - 2020
    America, we hear you singing! With vivid illustrations by Kaylani Juanita, Samara Cole Doyon sings a carol for the plenitude that surrounds us and the self each of us is meant to inhabit.

Twenty Yawns


Jane Smiley - 2016
    But later, she awakens in a dark, still room, and everything looks mysterious. How will she ever get back to sleep?

The Insomniacs


Karina Wolf - 2012
    Insomniac's new job, the family has an impossible time adapting to the change. They try everything to fall asleep at night--take hot baths, count to one thousand, sip mugs of milk--but nothing helps. Venturing out into the dark, they learn there is a whole world still awake and a beauty in their new and unconventional schedule.Ideal for bedtime reading, this gorgeous and lyrical story celebrates nighttime's mystery and magic.

Oona


Kelly DiPucchio - 2021
    The big sea’s littlest mischief maker.She and her best friend, Otto, love to search for treasure . . . but often find trouble instead.Messy trouble.Tricky trouble.Even shark-related trouble.That’s never stopped them before, though!After all, no proper treasure hunt is without some adventure. But when the grandest treasure yet is stuck in a deep, dark rift, Oona’s not sure if she can dive right in. What might be waiting for her in those unknown waters?

The Old Truck


Jarrett Pumphrey - 2020
    Soon she is running her own busy farm, and in the midst of all the repairing and restoring, it may be time to bring her faithful childhood companion back to life.With an eye-catching retro design and cleverly nuanced illustrations, The Old Truck celebrates the rewards of determination and the value of imagination.

The Way Home in the Night


Akiko Miyakoshi - 2015
    "My mother carries me through the quiet streets," the bunny explains. "Most of our neighbors are already home." The bunny can see their lights in the windows, and hear and smell what they might be doing: talking on the phone, pulling a pie out of the oven, having a party, saying goodbye. When they reach home, the father rabbit tucks the bunny into bed. But the bunny continues to wonder about the neighbors' activities. "Are the party guests saying goodnight? Is the person on the phone getting ready for bed?" And what of the footsteps that can be heard in the street as the bunny falls asleep? "Will she take the last train home?"This beautiful picture book captures the magical wonder a child feels at being outside in the night. Award-winning author and illustrator Akiko Miyakoshi's softly focused black-and-white illustrations with just a touch of neutral color have a dreamlike quality, just right for nodding off to sleep with. The book is intriguing in that it contains twice-told stories, once as they are observed and second as the bunny imagines them. This offers a perfect prompt for young children to create extensions of other stories they have read or heard. A deeper reading could encourage critical thinking by comparing the different pastimes of the neighbors or, ultimately, what it means to be home.

A Book of Sleep


Il Sung Na - 2007
    . .except for the watchful owl! With a spare, soothing text and beautifully rich and textured illustrations of a starry night, this is the perfect "book of sleep." Join the owl on his moonlit journey as he watches all the other animals settle in for the night: some sleep standing up, while some sleep on the move! Some sleep peacefully alone, while others sleep all together, huddled close. Il Sung Na makes his American debut with this gorgeous bedtime offering. While each animal rests in its own special way, little ones will also drift off to a cozy sleep.

I Am Every Good Thing


Derrick Barnes - 2020
    A difference maker. A leader.The confident Black narrator of this book is proud of everything that makes him who he is. He's got big plans, and no doubt he'll see them through--as he's creative, adventurous, smart, funny, and a good friend. Sometimes he falls, but he always gets back up. And other times he's afraid, because he's so often misunderstood and called what he is not. So slow down and really look and listen, when somebody tells you--and shows you--who they are. There are superheroes in our midst!

Just Because


Mac Barnett - 2019
    Little ones and their parents will be charmed and delighted as a patient father offers up increasingly creative responses to his child’s nighttime wonderings. Any child who has ever asked “Why?” — and any parent who has attempted an explanation — will recognize themselves in this sweet storybook for dreamers who are looking for answers beyond “Just because.”Curious minds are rewarded with curious answers in a fantastical bedtime book by Mac Barnett and Isabelle Arsenault.

Tomorrow Most Likely


Dave Eggers - 2019
    Rather than focusing on going to bed—and what kid wants to think about going to bed?—this book explores all of the dreamy, wonderful, strange things the next day might bring.

The Snatchabook


Helen Docherty - 2013
    But books are mysteriously disappearing. Eliza Brown decides to stay awake and catch the book thief. It turns out to be a little creature called the Snatchabook who has no one to read him a bedtime story. All turns out well when the books are returned and the animals take turns reading bedtime stories to the Snatchabook.