Bedtime stories for children
Bedtime stories for children. Bedtime stories aren’t just about getting kids to sleep. They’re a nightly ritual that wraps the day up with comfort and connection. A gentle tale or familiar character helps children relax, while the routine builds closeness and sparks imagination. Reading together also boosts listening and early literacy, and sometimes those quiet moments give kids a safe way to work through big feelings. This list features books by Eric Carle, Beatrix Potter, Margaret Wise Brown, Astrid Lindgren, Julia Donaldson, Sandra Boynton, Anna Dewdney, Doreen Cronin, Yuyi Morales, and Jory John.
Bedtime stories for children – our recommendations
Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney.
The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson and Beth Krommes.
Goodnight Sandman by Daniela Drescher. 
Windows by Julia Denos. 
It’s Time for Bed by Ceporah Mearns and Jeremy Debicki. 
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd. 
On a Magical Do-Nothing Day by Beatrice Alemagna. 
Now that night is Near by Astrid Lindgren and Marit Törnqvist. 
The Bad Seed by Jory John, illustrated by Pete Oswald. 
Good Night, Good Night by Sandra Boynton. 
Thank You, Night by Dan McCauley, illustrated by Jo Loring-Fisher. 
Don’t Push the Button! by Bill Cotter. 
Click, Clack, Good Night by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin. 
The Going-To-Bed Book by Sandra Boynton. 
The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad, illustrated by S. K. Ali Hatem Aly. 
Birdsong by Julie Flett. 
Tiger Days by M.H. Clark, illustrated by Anna Hurley. 
I’ll Love You Till the Cows Come Home Board Book by Kathryn Cristaldi and Kristyna Litten. 
Goodnight Numbers by Danica McKellar, illustrated by Alicia Padrón. 
Counting Creatures by Julia Donaldson and Sharon King-Chai. 
Dreamers by Yuyi Morales. 
Timbaland by Christopher Myers and Kaa Illustration. 
Bedtime for Sweet Creatures by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon. 
It’s Not a Bed, It’s a Time Machine by Mickey Rapkin, illustrated by Teresa Martínez. 
The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle. 
Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann. 
The Tale of Peter Rabbit Story Board Book by Beatrix Potter. 
Little You by Richard Van Camp, illustrated by Julie Flett. 
Time for Bed by Mem Fox, illustrated by Jane Dyer. 
Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy E. Shaw, illustrated by Margot Apple. Windows by Julia Denos, illustrated by E. B. Goodale. 
The Goodnight Train by June Sobel, illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith. 
Sweetest Kulu by Celina Kalluk, illustrated by Alexandria Neonakis. Click the buttons below to purchase all of the books in this bedtime stories for children book list, as well as classroom sets of any of these books and many more, from Bookshop.org. Or buy the 20 most popular titles from this list from Amazon – ideal for gifts or stocking your school library. If you are ordering from outside the US, have a look at our ‘worldwide orders’ page which makes this process easy.
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Bedtime stories for children – resources for teachers
- Library of Congress, American Folklife Center – Lesson Plans & Primary Sources includes materials on lullabies, family traditions, and nighttime routines using audio, photos, and field notes – a strong cultural lens to pair with titles like Goodnight Moon, Now That Night Is Near, and Dreamers.
- American Academy of Pediatrics – Brush, Book, Bed provides an evidence-based bedtime-routine framework and family handouts that dovetail with classroom–home reading bridges for books by Sandra Boynton, Anna Dewdney, and Margaret Wise Brown.
- Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian – Native Knowledge 360° offers teacher guides and inquiry lessons centering Native voices – valuable context for works by Julie Flett and Richard Van Camp and for discussing cultural bedtime traditions with respect and accuracy.
- NASA Space Place – Night Sky Activities (Educators) features elementary-friendly explanations, images, and activities about nighttime, stars, and the Moon – natural cross-curricular links for bedtime-themed picture books such as Windows and The House in the Night.
- DREME Network (Stanford) – Early Math Teaching Resources provides PreK–Grade 3 activities on counting, comparing, and number sense to extend books like Goodnight Numbers and Counting Creatures with mathematically rich talk and centers.
- Smithsonian’s National Zoo – Teaching Resources includes animal behavior and adaptations materials (nocturnal vs. diurnal) to pair with animal-focused bedtime titles such as Good Night, Gorilla, Click, Clack, Good Night, and Sheep in a Jeep.
- Poetry Foundation – Educator Resources provides lesson plans, teaching tools, and curated poetry collections; these can support rhythm, rhyme, and lullaby work connected to Sandra Boynton, Astrid Lindgren’s Now That Night Is Near, and other bedtime-themed texts.
- CASEL – SEL in the Classroom describes strategies for embedding social-emotional learning into daily practice – useful when teaching themes of behavior, identity, and empathy in books like The Bad Seed or Bedtime for Sweet Creatures.
BISAC JUV010000 Picture storybooks: bedtime stories, sleep and dreams | Thema YBCS1
