Five Best Ever Nighttime Books for Young Children

No evening is complete without a bedtime story. I would always fall asleep to the sound of my mother’s voice reading one of my favorite books. As I drifted off into dreamland, I imagined that I was a character in the book having the same adventures. Try these best ever nighttime classics the next time your child asks for a story.

1. Where the Wild Things Are By Maurice Sendak - If your child likes monsters this book is full of them. They may look scary but they are of the gentle variety. The story is about a boy named Max and his adventures on an island of monsters. Max becomes king of the island and wants to tell everyone what to do. What will the monsters do? This will become a nightly favorite as will other titles by Maurice Sendak.

2. Arthur by Marc T. Brown - Arthur has become a favorite story book for kids. He has even become a television series on public television networks. Arthur is a young boy who is learning about himself with the help of friends like Buster Bunny and his parents and a sister named D.W. Through interesting stories, Marc Brown uses Arthur to teach children about sharing, telling the truth, selfishness, helping others, finding self-worth, and treating others the same way you want them to treat you. Your children won’t be able to wait until bedtime to see how Arthur gets himself out of his latest situation. Grown-ups figure prominently in the Arthur series which demonstrates to kids how parents, teachers, and neighbors work together to raise the next generation in their community.

3. Stellaluna by Janell Cannon - Stellaluna is the story of a baby fruit bat that tumbles into the nest of a group of baby birds. The story shows that friends come in all shapes and colors. The baby birds befriend the helpless bat and try to find the way back home. This will become a favorite for your child at any age. It is a heartwarming bedtime story they will ask you to read over and over again.

4. Tikki Tikki Tembo retold by Arlene Mosel - Children love tongue twisters. This bedtime story is a classic. A young boy called Tikki Tikki Tembo for short has a mishap and falls into a well. He calls for help and the story twists and turns as each person that is told must recite his entire name in order to tell what has happened to him and to get help. His full name is Tikki Tikki Tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo. That’s a mouthful! But, what everyone wants to know is: Does he get rescued from the well? Read the fascinating book and see for yourself.

5. Go Away Big Green Monster by Edward R. Emberley - This book at first sounds scary, but it is a designed to help those children who are afraid of what might be lurking in their rooms in the dark of the night. This book uses bright colors to reveal with each page, the features of a scary nighttime monster. Once the monster is revealed, slowly page by page he starts to disappear because he has been told to go. The features of the monster disappear one by one until the monster itself is gone. If our child is afraid of monsters in the dark, this book will teach them how to banish the imaginary monsters from their room and get a good night’s sleep.

Nighttime is a special time. It’s easier to go to bed with an interesting story that will replay in your dreams as you sleep. Choose a book from the list above and make it a favorite for your child.

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