Ten Bedtime Stories

Peter thinks his house is too noisy. The bed creaks, the floors squeak — it’s no wonder he’s having a hard time falling asleep! But when he follows the village wise man’s advice, he soon discovers that his house isn’t that noisy after all.

This countdown to bedtime begins with “10 small toes all washed and warm” until one little girl is tucked snugly into bed by her loving dad. Richly hued illustrations, warmly detailed, combine with a straightforward text that holds up to multiple readings as well as careful examination.

Ten sleepy dinosaurs get ready for bed in this celebration of funny, endearing, and naughty bedtime behavior. Young children will laugh out loud as they recognize themselves in this larger than life silliness.

A child (and a small green frog) witness the change of seasons in a small, critter-filled pond. Engaging language swirls and moves across the pages in this vibrantly illustrated Caldecott Honor book.

At One Hoppin’ Place, the countdown to bedtime is about to begin when a family of hamsters — a mother and father with nine kids and a baby all wearing numbered striped jerseys — arrives at the front door.

Here is a collection of eighteen stories about heroines: girls and women with as much courage as their better-known male counterparts.

The baby beebee bird, new to the zoo, is singing his song…ALL NIGHT LONG! Nothing the animals do or say will stop him. They come up with a plan to teach the baby beebee bird that nighttime is really best for sleeping.

It’s bedtime for an ewe and her lamb, a cow and her calf and for a mother and her child. Watercolor illustrations show mothers and their babies settling in for the night.

From ten to one, little sleepyheads in colorful night clothes count down to sleep; that is, all but one bug who is not sleepy at all. And so begins the countdown again. Actual insects upon which the comical illustrations are drawn are shown and labeled on the end pages.

The sounds of a caterpillar munching through vegetation combine with Fleming’s distinctive illustrations for a small adventure in the tall, tall grass. The satisfying conclusion is a sleepy one, making this an ideal bedtime tale.