24 Surefire Bedtime Stories

Our children's book columnist, Amy Scheibe, author of the novel What Do You Do All Day? (Picador, 2006) and a longtime book editor, shares her selections of the best books to read to children at bedtime. In preparation for this column I canvassed friends and family to find out which bedtime books were hits in their homes. It won't surprise you to hear that Goodnight Moon, with its great green room and red balloon, was the most frequently mentioned title. In an effort to expand your bedtime horizons, though, I have discovered some soothing new titles to mix in with Margaret Wise Brown's classic snoozer — including a few choices for big kids to read by a flashlight after bedtime.

by Natalie Russell (Viking Juvenile, 2009) Ages 3 to 6 I am completely smitten with Little Rabbit and her moonlit adventure to discover whether there is someone out there "just like her." When she hears some lovely music playing in the park, she stumbles upon Brown Rabbit, who is nothing like her, making him the perfect friend. Russell is a papermaker, and has illustrated her adorable book with sumptuous prints. Or try: Goodnight Moon (1947). No kidding. If you don’t have a copy in your house, get one. All ages.

by Sloane Tanen (Bloomsbury USA, 2004) Ages 2 to 5 A small, fluffy chicken with a bright pink bow goes on a grand trip around the world — via planes, trains, automobiles, and even a hot air balloon — all the way to Grandma’s house, where the chocolate-chip cookies have come right out of the oven. Tanen's easy language and extravagant photographed dioramas are perfect for pre-readers. Or try: For a completely different chick, pick up Paulette Bogan's Goodnight Lulu (Bloomsbury USA, 2003). My children call me "Mama" because of repeated readings of Lulu’s endless questions to her mama about monsters in the night. Ages 4 to 7.

By Maurice Sendak (1963) All ages Who doesn't love putting on a pair of wolf pajamas and making mischief of one kind ... and another? I will read this book over and over and over again without complaint. Max's existential journey into the night's darkness has a strangely comforting effect on children, as they learn to tame and love the monsters in the room even before they start imagining them to be there. Or try: Judith Viorst's classic, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (1972), is a very different take on "one of those days." Ages 4 to 9.

by Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Jane Chapman (HarperCollins, 2006) Ages 3 to 6 Why am I such a sucker for a book with a bunny on the cover, or, better yet, a whole family of bunnies? Lloyd-Jones gently guides us through the meadow and forest where sleepy animals, all beautifully rendered by Chapman, quiet down and get ready for bed while nocturnal animals awaken. Or try: Home for a Bunny (1956), yet another sweet and simple tale from Margaret Wise Brown. Ages 2 to 5.

by Mo Willems (Hyperion, 2006) Ages 3 to 7 Let me be perfectly clear: Mo Willems is subversive. It may seem like he’s creating clever little books that get children to do what a parent wants, but trust me, he's on their side. So although the pigeon in this book may seem to be yawning even as he is begging to stay up late, those yawns will go unmatched by your grandkids. They will be laughing so hard at being the ones who get to say "NO!" that they'll be more awake at the end of the book than at the start. On the other hand, they'll be in a great mood. Or try: Knuffle Bunny (Hyperion, 2004), because I will read anything Willems writes, whether or not there happens to be a child in the room. You should, too. Ages 4 to 7.

by Andrew Daddo, illustrated by Emma Quay (Bloomsbury USA, 2007) Ages 2 to 6 This book is both lovely and useful; it demonstrates a clever way to create a bedtime ritual in which children say goodnight to various parts of their bodies. In the story, a sweet-faced orangutan gets comfortable and eventually falls asleep with his mother's help. If only it were so easy with human children! Or try: Good Night, Gorilla (Putnam Juvenile, 1996). Peggy Rothman’s simple but delightful story, told almost entirely through pictures, features zoo animals sneaking out of their cages, following their zookeeper home, and climbing into his bed for the night. Ages 2 to 6.

by Dr. Seuss (1957) All ages My friend Chris reads this book to his twin boys every night, creating original voices for each of the characters and managing to delight and exhaust everyone in the room by the time he reaches the final question, "Well, what would you do?" I very much like doing the same thing with Green Eggs and Ham, especially as that book has only two voices to switch between. Or try: Speak for the trees, read The Lorax (1971), and give the grandkids something to think about as they go to sleep. This is my husband's favorite Seuss book of all time. What's yours? Ages 4 to 8.

by Julianne Moore, illustrated by LeUyen Pham (Bloomsbury USA, 2009) Ages 4 to 8 Everybody has a dodgeball story to tell, even though this "sport" has been weeded out of the phys-ed programs in most schools. Moore sets her charming character in a battle of wits against the biggest bully in picture books, Windy Pants Patrick. And Freckleface's courage is unmatched as she brings the forces of invisibility to bear and triumphs just in time for my daughter, Hedda, to go to sleep already. Or try: Another red-headed, pigtailed girl with a big imagination stars in Sarah Weeks's Paper Parade (Atheneum, 2004) as she dreams herself into the marching band passing by her window at nap time. Ages 4 to 7.

by Kenneth Grahame (1908) Ages 9 and older As children get older and start reading themselves to sleep (or deep into the night with a flashlight under a blanket), it's good to have Grahame's timeless classic available for their discovery. Ignoring the advice of his friends Mole, Badger, and Rat, Toad steals a car and gets sent to prison. After making his escape, he embarks on a long, treacherous journey home to Toad Hall and his faithful friends. Or try: L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), which remains a dazzling read, and an appealing choice for grandchildren already in love with the movie. Ages 9 and older.

by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1943) Ages 9 and older The quintessential bedtime story for tweens, The Little Prince still fires the imagination with its intergalactic exploration of philosophical whimsy, as the Prince describes his solitary existence to a downed pilot in the Sahara. Add to the tale the dramatic detail of the author’s own plane disappearing somewhere over the Mediterranean less than a year after he wrote the book, and your grandkids will be riveted. Or try: Ingrid Law's Savvy (Dial, 2008), an electrifying new tale of a girl who is eager to discover whether or not her newly-acquired superpower will be enough to save her grandfather's life. Ages 9 to 12.

by Gertrude Chandler Warner (1924) Ages 9 to 12 I have not read this series of mysteries about four orphaned children who live with their grandfather. (As a girl, I devoted myself to Nancy Drew.) But my friend Leslie has persuaded me to buy the set for my kids. She swears that both her son and daughter devoured each Boxcar book in turn. I do like that Warner wrote these books, beginning in 1924, as gifts for her grandfather each Christmas. Now, that's love. Or try: Nancy Drew, the original female sleuth extraordinaire, now experiencing a well-deserved renaissance due to a recent feature film. Ages 9 to 12.

by Christopher Paolini (Knopf, 2003) Ages 10 and older Paolini’s sweeping tale of a young orphan boy chosen to be a Dragon Rider is mesmerizing in its complexity and scope — and even more impressive when you consider that the author was barely 15 when he began crafting his epic. With shades of Tolkien and Wagner, Eragon is for the child who likes serious, operatic fantasy. Once hooked, your young reader will be thrilled to learn that there are (so far) two more books in the Inheritance series, Eldest and Brisingr. Or try: Inkheart (The Chicken House, 2003), Cornelia Funke's darkly engrossing fantasy trilogy about a young girl whose father has the power to "read" characters out of books right into the real world. Ages 10 and older.