Best Bedtime Stories for Toddlers

Nights, although super hectic, are the highlight of my day. When I get home from work, we eat dinner as a family and then go upstairs to play with Vienna for an hour. Her favorite toy at the moment is this pound and tap bench. We’re working on matching colors, so it’s perfect. When she gets bored with that, it’s time to read. I keep books at her level, so she’ll grab a few and crawl up on my lap. It’s basically the sweetest thing ever.

When I was cleaning Vienna’s room recently, I realized that we have quite the collection of “bedtime” books – books that have bedtime as the primary theme. I wish I can take credit and say that I found these books on my own, but most of them were gifts. If you’re looking for some new books to add to your rotation, keep reading! 

1. Dream Animals by Emily Winfield Martin: You’ve probably have heard of Emily’s other book, “The Wonderful Things You Will Be.” The illustrations in this book, just like her others, are absolutely stunning. I actually want a print of one of the illustrations framed for Vienna’s room. The story showcases different animals that help carry children to their dreams at night, including a fox, tiger, narwhal, moth and so many more. 

2. Biscuit’s Pet & Play Bedtime by Alyssa Satin Capucilli: This touch-and-feel book is great for infants and toddlers. Vienna has loved this book for months now. There’s five different textures throughout the book to explore, so it keeps her occupied for a while. 

3. On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman: Vienna was born in the middle of the night, so I really relate to some of the phrases found in this book. The first page got me teary eyed when I first read it, so it will forever be a favorite. “On the night you were born, the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered, ‘Life will never be the same.’ Because there had never been anyone like you… ever in the world.”

4. It’s Time to Sleep My Love by Nancy Tillman: No surprise here, but I had to include another favorite from Nancy Tillman. It’s such a comforting story that truly is the PERFECT bedtime story. It celebrates just how special, unique and loved a child is. I have a feeling we’ll be reading this book for many, many years to come. 

5. The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton:  I’ve read this one so many times that I could probably recite it from memory at this point. It’s got the cutest rhyme about a silly bunch of animals on a boat who scrub in the tub, brush their teeth, exercise, and eventually rock to sleep. 

6. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown: This has been a classic for generations and for good reason. Aside from simply reading this book to Vienna, we also ask her to find certain items in each picture (i.e., the moon, the red balloon). She hasn’t mastered this yet, but we’re working on it. 

7. Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann: Out of all the books on this list, “Goodnight Gorilla” is Vienna’s favorite. I don’t know if it’s the bright pictures or physical size of the book, but she grabs it first every night. There’s not many words, but you don’t need them. The illustrations tell a hilarious story of a family trying to get all the animals in the zoo to bed. 

8. Good Night Sleep Tight by Emily George: This is a story all about a little boy who goes through his nighttime routine before finally getting ready for bed. This is actually Bryan’s book from when he was a kid! You can’t purchase it online (unless you want to pay $500 from a random seller on Amazon), but I had to mention it in this post. It’s such a special opportunity to be able to read one of Bryan’s childhood books to Vienna. We can’t wait to give it to her one day to read with her own children. 

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