Best Bedtime Stories for Winding Down Your Kids

Shila:  Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown, is one of the best best bedtime stories for babies and little ones alike. Every page, with limited wording and calming illustration, wishes a peaceful "goodnight" to every meaningful thing in this child's bedroom.

I don't know anybody who doesn't read this book in a soft whisper - it's impossible not to!

Katie G.:  Did you ever wonder how dinosaurs go to bed at night? In How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? you will soon discover the ways different dinosaurs go to bed at night. This story follows Mama and Papa as they try to put their "dinosaur" children to bed. They are surprised by the naughty behavior the dinosaurs are displaying, such as stomping their feet, slamming their tail and pouting. At the end of the night, all dinosaurs remember to give hugs and kisses and whisper "good night".

Shila:  I recommend Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site as one of the best bedtime stories for kids who love cars and big-rig trucks. It's also one of those bedtime story books that lasts longer than 5 minutes! There are over 30 pages in Sherri Duskey Rinker's board book version. The illustrations are superb, too. They invite many pauses to circle an eyeball around each page.

The story features tough bulldozers, excavators, and diggers working hard all day on site. As the day winds down, even they settle down at night to enjoy the same snuggly peace and quiet you're hoping your child will mimic, too. Tomorrow will be another day of fun!

Shila:  The Going to Bed Book is one of many Sandra Boynton board books beloved by parents, and there's no surprise why. With sweet animal characters, soft and simple illustrations, and adorable rhyme schemes, kids take such a liking to these short stories that model daily activities in playful ways - including falling asleep!

Shila:  Kevin Lewis' board book, Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo , features a hard-working freight train circling around a child's bedroom with its boxcars full of fun toys. The train eventually arrives at the station pretty sleepy and ready for bed.

This was one of our favorite bedtime story books for our kids when they were younger - especially because they loved playing with trains so much. It's written in rhyme and simple for kids to memorize - finishing every other line with a cheery, "chugga- chugga woo-woooo!"

Amy S.:  A beautiful and uniquely illustrated bedtime tale about a little owl and his nocturnal adventures. The story highlights the creatures and activities of the forest at night. The swift pacing and sharp images are perfect for toddlers. I always appreciate a bedtime book that has just the right amount of words on the page—enough to make the language and story rich, but not so many that it bogs down the reading as the kids are dozing off. This book hits that sweet spot. The companion book, Little Owl’s Day, is pretty perfect as well.

Katie G.:  This bedtime board book story follows a zookeeper as he walks around the zoo saying good night to all the animals. What he doesn't know is the sneaky gorilla has stolen his keys and follows him letting all the animals out of their cages. You'll never believe where the gorilla winds up at the end of the book. My kids loved saying "good night" to all the animals on each page of the book.

Jodi Hoppe Wresh:  A good bedtime story that my kids enjoyed.

Shila:  Welcome to the freedom to dream anything you want! This Caldecott Medal-winning picture book by Maurice Sendak is one of the best bedtime stories for kids - especially those with wild imaginations! The story features a boy punished by his mother to go straight to bed without receiving dinner. He does so, yes, but also set sails across the ocean to become king of an island inhabited by Wild Things that actually appreciate his ruckus behavior. Eventually, though, he does become hungry and finds his way back for a warm meal.

Alexandra F.:  My 4-year-old loves all the Frog and Toad books, and they are my favorite books to read aloud to him. We both think Toad is hilarious in all his grumpiness, and his friendship with Frog and the simple adventures they share together always worth reading about. They've been our go-to bedtime stories for the last year or so because they are long enough and familiar enough at this point that my little guy always nods off after 2 or 3 short stories.

Shila:  I Love You Stinky Face, by Lisa McCourt, is a cute picture book that showcases a momma reminding her child over and over again what unconditional love would mean for her. She promises to forever love her child even if he somehow turned into something creepy, swampy, or beyond stinky! The last page ends in a big snuggle.

I loved reading this book to my kids when they were younger; ten years later and I've still kept this book laying around as a keepsake!

Alexandra F.:  We LOVE this book in our family, and it has been a staple in our bedtime routines through four kids and over 14 years. The familiar nursery rhyme is expanded to include several additional (and, I might add, extremely catchy) verses, which take the eensy weensy spider through her day, right up until her own bedtime. This wonderful sing along book is our perfect last book before bed, as the familiar and repetitive tune helps our little ones to relax, and sometimes even nod off before the end!

Let's Dress Up NYC:  Nancy Tillman was a favorite when my daughter was younger. So cute and nice meaningful message (especially after those sometimes long toddler days).

Sue Krawitz Tandoc:  Author Michael Dahl wrote a series of Sports Illustrated Goodnight Books on sports themes, Baseball, Football, Hockey, Basketball and Soccer that are perfect for any little sports fan. They feature rhymes, fun illustrations and unique sports theme text for each book to make them the perfect way to end the day.

Katie G.:  This classic story follows a kitten toddler as he gets ready for bed. His mother is trying to put him to bed, but of course he needs "one more hug" or "one more kiss" or "one more book", then he promises to go to bed, At the end of the book, he eventually exhausts himself with his "one more" requests. The repetition in the book is catchy and even years later with my older kids, I can (and do) still recite the lines to the kids.