Everyone's Awake


Colin Meloy - 2020
    Instead of settling down to sleep, Dad bakes bread, Mom fixes the roof, and Grandma plays cards with a ghost. And between the dog, the cat, Sister, and Brother, there's at least three different wars being waged!

Child of the Universe


Ray Jayawardhana - 2020
    . .You are grand and marvelous, strong and mysterious.The history of the world is in your fingertips.A meditation on the preciousness of one child and the vastness of the universe, this picture book shares the measure of a parent's love along with the message that we are all connected to the broader cosmos.

Go to Sleep, Little Farm


Mary Lyn Ray - 2014
    Nighttime blankets a little farm. An owl who-hoots. A bear curls up in a log. A mother fox calls her pups home to the den. But animals aren't the only ones preparing to rest.      In the tradition of Margaret Wise Brown, with classically styled picture book illustrations and fresh, childlike imagery, this poetic bedtime book, as peaceful as it is warm, will wrap young ones in the comforts of routine. All is well, it reminds them. Now is the time for dreams.

It's Only Stanley


Jon Agee - 2015
    "That's very odd," says Mr. Wimbledon each time, but when he returns from checking on the sounds, he's always reassuring: "It's only Stanley; he's fixing the oil tank." "It's only Stanley; he's clearing the bathtub drain."But what Stanley the dog is actually doing while his oblivious family goes back to bed is deliciously absurd: he's turning the house into a rocket ship to zoom himself and his family to another planet for an alien encounter. This is a perfect rhyming read-aloud for fans of irreverent tales like Click Clack Moo and I Want My Hat Back.

Summer Days and Nights


Wong Herbert Yee - 2012
    She catches a butterfly, sips lemonade, jumps in a pool, and goes on a picnic. At night, she sees an owl in a tree and a frog in a pond, and hears leaves rustling. Before long, she’s fast asleep, dreaming about more summer days and summer nights. As with his earlier books featuring this spunky little girl, Wong Herbert Yee’s focus is on appreciating the small but special details that define a season.

I'll Meet You in Your Dreams


Jessica Young - 2021
    Each evening when the sun has set, as nighttime casts a starry net, I'll hitch a ride on moonbeams, and meet you in your dreams. This poetic and tender story celebrates the parent-and-child bond in its many forms and offers gentle assurance of love across a lifetime. Two parents' dreams of the future with their children—from early dependence for nourishment and basic needs, to the parent as home base for a child in later life—mirror an always-changing but unbreakable relationship. Written in lyrical rhyme and accompanied by breathtaking art by the incomparable Rafael López, I'll Meet You in Your Dreams affirms that parental love is a constant force, transcending boundaries of space and time.

Outside My Window


Linda Ashman - 2018
    One child looks out over a boulevard lined with palm trees, another sees a train whistling past snow-capped mountains, and another waves to her father as he tends to their garden. But while their lives may seem different, there’s something important that they all share. This beautiful book will spark readers’ curiosity and imagina­tion with its celebration of global diversity.

A New Green Day


Antoinette Portis - 2020
    On each spread, children will solve riddles about the familiar animals, plants and the weather that one child encounters outdoors throughout a whole day.

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.

Fatima's Great Outdoors


Ambreen Tariq - 2021
    Her family is headed to a local state park for their first camping trip! The school week might not have gone as planned, but outdoors, Fatima can achieve anything. She sets up a tent with her father, builds a fire with her mother, and survives an eight-legged mutant spider (a daddy longlegs with an impressive shadow) with her sister. At the end of an adventurous day, the family snuggles inside one big tent, serenaded by the sounds of the forest. The thought of leaving the magic of the outdoors tugs at Fatima’s heart, but her sister reminds her that they can keep the memory alive through stories—and they can always daydream about what their next camping trip will look like.

Jack B. Ninja


Tim McCanna - 2018
    Ninja! Jack, be quick!Jack, jump over the bamboo stick!Secret mission starts tonight.Hide in shadow, out of sight.In this ninja fantasy inspired by the classic nursery rhyme "Jack Be Nimble," cheer on Jack as he sneaks over castle walls, swims through hidden tunnels, and uncovers a secret treasure -- all while avoiding detection. But when Jack unwittingly springs a trap in the middle of his mission, will he be able to use his ninja skills to escape the bandits and make it back home?

You Be Mommy


Karla Clark - 2020
    Can you be Mommy and hold me tight? In this clever, rhyming picture book, a mother tells her child that she's simply too tired to be Mommy tonight and asks her daughter to take over for her.An utterly relatable theme told with humor and heart provides a story parents and children will delight in reading together at bedtime.

Owls Are Good at Keeping Secrets: An Unusual Alphabet


Sara O'Leary - 2018
    Kids will love to see their own quirks reflected in these adorably rendered creatures, and perhaps will be comforted to know that—just like them—narwhals can be perfectly happy all on their own and quail also get tired of being told to be quiet.

Sleepyheads


Sandra J. Howatt - 2014
    The sun has set, and sleepyheads all across the land are tucked into their cozy beds.Rabbit is snoozing in the weeds, and Duck is snuggled in the reeds.Bear is nestled in his cave, and Otter is rocking on a wave.But there's one little sleepyhead who's not in his bed.Where, oh where, could he be?This sweet, snuggly, and silly bedtime book with irresistible illustrations is sure to prepare little ones for a cozy night's sleep.

The Last Peach


Gus Gordon - 2018
    From internationally award-winning picture book creator Gus Gordon comes this delightful story about friendship and sharing.One fine summer's day two bugs discover the most beautiful peach of the season and are faced with a dilemma...Who should eat it?