Book Finder

After a busy day, animal families snuggle up just like children and their parents in this cozy illustrated and gently rhyming board book.

A bear and cub share special moments throughout the day, beginning as the sun rises and continuing until a nighttime snuggle. 

A delightful bedtime tale, set on the African plains. The sun has set and the moon is rising, and that means it’s bedtime. But not if Lala has a say — because she’s not ready to go to sleep! First she needs to say good night to the cat. And the goat. And the chickens. And, and, and … Lala’s adorable stalling strategy will ring true for all parents whose little ones aren’t ready to say goodbye to the day — and all will appreciate the wonderful culmination to the bedtime ritual.

Discover what bedtime looks like for the snowplows, dump trucks, giant cranes, and more that dot the pages of this irresistible construction story. Just like you and me, the vehicles in this story get tuckered out after a long day of hard work and need to quiet down and settle in for sweet dreams. Young readers will surely identify as these trucks ask for one more story while their parents sing them a goodnight song and send them off to bed.

A sweet and playful bedtime and read-aloud picture book that reminds young readers just how loved they are. “I love you like yellow. I love you like green. Like flowery orchid and sweet tangerine …” Love comes in many forms. It can feel tart as lemonade or sweet as sugar cookies. Slow as a lazy morning or fast as a relay race. Love is there through it all: the large and small moments, the good times and bad. And at the end of the day, love settles us down to bed with a hug and kiss goodnight.

Short stories, ideal for reading aloud or independently, are followed by information about the animal and region in the narrative, subtly presenting issues related to climate change. Handsome illustrations throughout both illuminate and engage.

Short, mostly familiar rhymes and lullabies are gently illustrated by textured embroidered images, just right to remind adults of the power of short rhymes meant to be shared with the youngest.

As she waits for the arrival of her new baby, a mother-to-be gathers gifts to create a sacred bundle. A white feather, cedar and sage, a stone from the river … Each addition to the bundle will offer the new baby strength and connection to tradition, family, and community. As they grow together, mother and baby will each have gifts to offer each other. Two Indigenous book creators bring beautiful words and luminous art together in a resonant celebration of the bond between mother and child.

Doggo and Pupper try to help their housemate, cat, adjust to the new bed. But change isn’t easy and “finding cozy” can be tough, too. Each generously illustrated short chapter provides a glimpse into this trio’s friendship and relatable experiences — and a chuckle or so. Although this is the third book in the Doggo and Pupper series, it stands alone and is just as engaging as the first books.

Mike, like everyone else, has their own flock of sheep to count if having trouble falling asleep. But one particularly tough night for sleeping, Four refused to follow sheep One, Two and Three.  Sly humor in a totally implausible story accompanied by comical cartoon illustrations on large pages create an unforgettable nighttime tale. Simultaneously available in Spanish: El rebaño.

A gentle, poetic good-night book, with diverse parents and children — plus 16 different, slightly anthropomorphic animals- — settling down to sleep. The book that shows the ways different types of animals sleep, depicting Chinese golden monkeys, deer, sea otters, elephants, hummingbirds, and other creatures.

The sun is up and so is the baby along with the dog, the teddy and finally, mama and papa. When the moon is up, everyone is sleepy except for the baby; that is until the baby falls asleep. Families with young children will appreciate the humor and the simple, playful illustrations.

At this very moment, “a small mouse wakes up in the early morning sun”, a ripe plum that a worm will eat for tea, and more in this soothing look at one moment in time. Gentle text is complemented by evocative illustrations from various perspectives for a memorable, calming book.

Baby Izzie’s middle-of-the-night awakening starts a chain reaction that wakes up everyone in the red brick apartment building. This cozy cumulative tale is filled with alliteration and onomatopoeia and illustrated in richly hued, textured collage illustrations.

Make getting ready for bed an adventure with familiar creatures as young children try to guess who (or what) they will find. With a lift of each sturdy flap, the hidden answers are found.

It’s dark in the lighthouse home; everything is quiet, until it is not! Everyone in the large, extended family gets into the silliness — even the dog — until everyone falls asleep. Lively rhythmic language combines with energetic illustrations for a fun book to read and share.

A father warmly and creatively answers his child’s endless questions: “Why is the ocean blue?” (“Because every night fish play sad songs and cry blue tears.”) The final question, “Why do we have to sleep?” is answered, “Because there are some things we can only see with our eyes closed.” Stylized illustrations suggest a timeless quality to a child’s curiosity and a parent’s patience.  

Split pages encourage young readers to look carefully at the cheerful illustrations with bold lines and simple forms. As night approaches, a page turns to reveal no one is hiding and soon, almost everyone sleeps!

Hamilton Squidlegger is fearless! Well, almost. During the day he can best all the frackensnappers, skelecragons, and bracklesneeds in the swamp, but at night he quakes in terror. Will his father be able to help Hamilton remain fearless in his own mud all night?

“Peekity book!” Baby does many things from eating dinner to starting the nighttime ritual of getting ready for bath and bed. Cartoon-like illustrations and a jaunty rhyme follow a mom, dad, and young child until, “Peepity peep./Shhh…Baby’s asleep.”

Bobo (first introduced in Hug (opens in a new window)) is back. Here, he is doing his best to avoid bedtime, instead cavorting with other animals until he is lost and needs his mom. Comic illustrations and few words tell a recognizable, good-natured tale with pathos.

The jaguar asks the coati to wake him up after a brief nap. When the coati wants to nap, too, it asks a cockatiel. One by one, each animal falls asleep until the last one, the sloth, falls asleep and suddenly his enormous snore startles everyone awake! Bold illustrations and clever use of typeface combine to tell a humorous tale reminiscent of a folktale.

Five elephants, each a different pastel color parade across and through the pages introducing numbers from one to five, over and under, and more until it’s time to sleep. Simple forms, gentle hues, and comfortable language are sure to create an enduring classic. 

Lyrical language and evocative images combine for a gentle portrait of evening as “Darkness tumbles into the air.” After all„ “Night is mischievous! It chases blue, white, pink, and green away …” But only until “day breathes into the leaves … and yellow rises …”