Beddy Bye Books

If you know me, you’ll know I’m a sucker for a good picture book. I think I would have totally ended up teaching First Graders if I hadn’t decided to homeschool. I love little kids, good stories, and bright, cheery illustrations. If you missed that last picture book review (My Name is Not Isabella), you’ll remember that when I was a little kid, I wanted to be a Disney Animator. I guess it all goes with the territory.

When Candlewick Press emailed me with the titles and cover art for their bedtime book series, I couldn’t say no. We have culled down our picture books over the years as the kids have grown from ‘Goodnight Moon’ into ‘Narnia’… so I needed some fresh books for our next set of homeschool students (the 1.5 year old and the one that is due in February). What better to start with than bedtime picture books? Bedtime is such a sweet cuddly time to read together.

Here below is a quick review of these five wonderful sleepy-time titles. Keep in mind, however, the artwork in all of them is just as wonderful as the stories themselves:

Switching on the Moon: A Very First Book of Bedtime Poems
Collected by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters
Illustrated by G. Brian Karas

Candlewick’s note on this one was: “An alluring collection of bedtime poems from both sides of the Atlantic, sure to find a treasured spot on children’s nightstands!”

I have to be honest with you. I don’t mean to play favorites, but I have a soft spot for poetry. My kids love it, too. Some of our very favorite children’s books have been poetry collections; either done by one author or collected from many sources and showcased together on a certain topic. This book was what sealed the review deal for me even though my ‘review box’ was filling up beyond what I could handle. I’m so glad I said yes!

Hoot owls, bathtime mischief, glittering fireflies, night noises and a symphony of lullaby poems that stretch throughout time and across the seas…

This book is such a delight!

Tuck Me In!
By Dean Hacohen and Sherry Scharschmidt

Little ones are often very empowered if you give them choices and let them ‘be the boss’ of something. That’s why this book is so perfect for the toddler age: baby gets to be the one tucking in all the animals in the book! This book is full of color and cute. I love the little ‘blankets’ (half-pages) that cover each animal up… and so does the Viking (my 1.5 year old). He’s learning his animals and loves to say the sounds they make as we tuck the animals in with him.

Moon Dreams
By Ruth Martin
Illustrated by Olivier Latyk

A bedtime book for an inquisitive kid with just enough attention span to really ponder a story. The story is about a little girl named Luna who wonders where the moon disappears to during the day. In between her ponderings are lovely illustrations of her dreams. This book would be a perfect bedtime story to grow with because as your child grows in understanding of science and the world around them, this might just be a question they would ask themselves!

Interrupting Chicken
By David Ezra Stein

Candlewick’s note on the Interrupting Chicken was: “A favorite joke inspired this charming tale, in which a little chicken’s habit of interrupting bedtime stories is gleefully turned on its head.”

The artwork and story are adorable. But I’ll let you watch this little YouTube video about the book so you can see for yourself:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqB-Jue1oeA?fs=1]

Don’t you just love it when publishers make MOVIE TRAILERS of books? How cool is that?! Reminds me of Reading Rainbow.

A Bedtime for Bear
By Bonny Becker
Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton

Last but not least is A Bedtime for Bear. Bear reminds me of myself – very methodical at bedtime… down to the glass of water on the nightstand (always with ice – even though I never drink all of it) and the favorite pillow, nicely fluffed (but for me you also have to add chapstick and my iPhone plugged in). Bear likes his sleep to be conducted in complete silence (wouldn’t that be dreamy? I’m sure all you homeschool moms of multiple children are imagining the bliss of uninterrupted sleep with me now…). When Bear invites a noisy little mouse over to spend the night, he’s in for a rude awakening about other people’s bedtime habits. Such a cute story and funny, too (kind of ironic that the quiet-loving bear turns out to be the noisy one after all: SNORE!).

Candlewick’s note: This book is a companion story to the New York Times bestseller “A Visitor for Bear.”

Are you getting sleepy? Grab one of these sweet picture books and curl up for a bedtime snuggle with your favorite youngster. I recommend them all!

Disclosure: The opinion of the book is my own and was not compensated for. I received a free copy of the book to keep in exchange for my thoughts. Candlewick Press is also offering another free set of these very same bedtime stories for one of the Homeschool Blog Awards winners at the Homeschool Post! You can see them over on page 3 of our prize pages there as well!