bedtime books for kid, best picture books, best board books, best bedtime books for kids, best read aloud books for kids

Best Bedtime Books to Read Aloud

Posted on March 4, 2013September 4, 2016 by Pragmatic Mom

Best Bedtime Picture Books for Kids

Thank you to Susan Marx for emailing me this lovely poem full of some of my favorite children’s books for young children. Reading aloud is a passion for her and Barbara and they have penned a book about it.

Her lovely poem took me down memory lane at bedtime with my kids. We didn’t read all these great picture books and board books, but we enjoyed many of them over and over through the years!!

Thanks for this trip! What bedtime books or read aloud books are your favorites? Did you spot any in the poem?

Bedtime Rhyme

by Susan Marx

Let’s read a book Together to settle you down,

Time for Bed in your cozy jammies or nightgown.

Sleep time for you and Dino-Pets that watch you grow,

Count along with me Ten, Nine, Eight and Off We Go!

Little one you might ask Where to Sleep?

For sure not with those Sheep in a Jeep.

Duck! Rabbit! Here’s a Kiss Kiss from Little Mo,

Stop your Dancing Feet, be still From Head To Toe.

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed go Bumpety Bump on the floor,

OH! The Runaway Bunny calls for help from Sammy and the Dinosaur.

Chicken Bedtime is Really Early honks Blue Goose,

Mommies Say Shhh! to the Mother Goose on the Loose.

Here Comes the Night so quietly listen as Bear Snores On,

No more coloring for Harold and the Purple Crayon.

Good night to the dog in Whistle for Willie,

And good neigh to the horse in Silly Tilly.

Time To Say Goodnight to Corduroy, Miss Mary Mack, and Maisy,

Goodnight Moon, Noisy Nora, Olivia, and Titch and Daisy.

Good-night Owl and Good Night Gorilla in the Firehouse,

Sweet dreams to the teeny weeny Busy, Busy Mouse.

Hush Little Baby soon the sun will say Hello Day,

That’s the time when your book buddy Millie Wants to Play!

Soon Milton the Early Riser will head Down By the Bay,

Carrying his Umbrella on a Soggy Saturday.

Look up and down Brown Bear, Bear Brown, What Do You See?

Close Your Eyes to find A Rainbow All Around Me.

It’s Time To go to sleep as I sing a Lucky Song,

All the World will wait patiently for you all night long.

Click on image of any book to view at Amazon or here to buy at Barnes and Noble.

p.s. Information about the books as well as parenting strategies and reading strategies to read aloud effectively are provided in Help Me Get Ready To Read: The Practical Guide For Reading Aloud To Children During Their First Five Years by Susan Marx and Barbara Kasok

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36 thoughts on “Best Bedtime Books to Read Aloud”

Read Aloud Dad says:
March 4, 2013 at 8:26 am
Wow, what a great compilation! These are fabulous choices for any read aloud family.
Our favorites from the list include: Good Night Gorilla!, Corduroy, Harold and the Purple Crayon and Busy, Busy Mouse!
But, now I got many more book ideas to check out. Firehouse looks positively enticing…
Oh, how I love these great lists of yours!
Read Aloud Dad
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1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  March 4, 2013 at 6:00 pm
  Hi Read Aloud Dad,
  I can’t take credit for the list — it’s Susan’s poem — but I did pull out our favorite books in the image collection.
  Pragmatic Mom recently posted…Best Bedtime Books to Read Aloud
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Maryanne @ mama smiles says:
March 4, 2013 at 8:45 am
Great list! Julia Donaldson is another great picture book author whose books I don’t see here. 🙂
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1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  March 4, 2013 at 6:00 pm
  Thanks for the wonderful recommendation Maryanne. I don’t know her so she will be a fun discovery for us!
  Pragmatic Mom recently posted…Best Bedtime Books to Read Aloud
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Barbara Mojica says:
March 4, 2013 at 9:17 am
What a fantastic collection! They are all great buy my personal favorite is Goodnight Moon.
Reply
1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  March 4, 2013 at 6:01 pm
  Hi Barbara,
  YES! Me too! I love Goodnight Moon and someone just left a comment about the other things hidden in the book besides the mouse so now I have to find it to read it again!
  Pragmatic Mom recently posted…Best Bedtime Books to Read Aloud
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Jeanette Nyberg
says:
March 4, 2013 at 10:51 am
I forgot about Duck! Rabbit! That one’s great. We also like Dear Zoo, but Goodnight Gorilla is still my fav ever.
Jeanette Nyberg recently posted…Cool Sprayed T-Shirt Project
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1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  March 4, 2013 at 6:02 pm
  Hi Jeanette,
  Goodnight Gorilla is our 2nd favorite after Goodnight Moon. Dear Zoo is a close 3rd or 4th too! So many wonderful board books and picture books! I’m so glad all of our kids have enjoyed them!
  Pragmatic Mom recently posted…Best Bedtime Books to Read Aloud
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Stacey says:
March 4, 2013 at 1:43 pm
So many great titles. Many of my favorites and lots of new ones too! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful list!
Stacey recently posted…February Reading Update
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1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  March 4, 2013 at 6:03 pm
  Hi Stacey,
  Susan Marx’s poem is lovely and her book is great too! We enjoyed remembering those books we used to read when the kids were younger.
  Pragmatic Mom recently posted…Best Bedtime Books to Read Aloud
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Catherine says:
March 4, 2013 at 2:26 pm
This is a wonderful list. I would also include Can’t you sleep Little Bear, Pyjama Time and Big Red Bath.
Thank you for sharing 🙂
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1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  March 4, 2013 at 6:06 pm
  Thank you for your great recs Catherine!!!
  Pragmatic Mom recently posted…Best Bedtime Books to Read Aloud
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Reshama says:
March 4, 2013 at 2:37 pm
Awesome list! We still go back to some of our old favorites. 🙂 thanks for sharing!
Reply
1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  March 4, 2013 at 6:06 pm
  Thanks Reshama!
  Pragmatic Mom recently posted…Best Bedtime Books to Read Aloud
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Renee C.
says:
March 4, 2013 at 3:50 pm
Oh wow – so many great ones. Time for Bed is one of our all-time favorites and Runaway Bunny makes me cry every time. Another one of our favorites is I Love You as Much by Laura Krauss Melmed. LOVE that book! Thanks for this great list! 🙂
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1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  March 4, 2013 at 6:07 pm
  Hi Renee C.,
  Thank you so much for adding more great books to the list!
  Pragmatic Mom recently posted…Best Bedtime Books to Read Aloud
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Mary Aviles
says:
March 4, 2013 at 7:46 pm
Cinder Eyed Cats, Mr. Seahorse, Harry & Horsey and Sick Day for Amos McGee were also old standbys for us at bedtime.
Reply
1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  March 5, 2013 at 2:49 pm
  Hi Mary,
  Thank you so much for sharing your favorite bedtime books! I loved a Sick Day for Amos McGee too but I need to track down your other great recs!
  Pragmatic Mom recently posted…Best Bedtime Books to Read Aloud
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Valarie says:
March 4, 2013 at 9:41 pm
What a fun and inventive poem. I see so many on this list that we loved to read at bedtime. I think Runaway Bunny and Harold and the Purple Crayon top the list. 🙂 Another wonderful list Mia. Will tweet, FB, and Google+
Valarie recently posted…All Good Things Must Come to an End: A Look Back at The Family Book Festival
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1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  March 5, 2013 at 2:51 pm
  Thanks Valarie,
  I can’t take credit for the list. Susan Marx is an expert on bedtime reading for kids! But I did enjoy the walk down memory lane seeing many of the books that I read to my kids when they were little! I’ve saved most of them too! Love Runaway Bunny — read that a lot and only my son loved Harold and the Purple Crayon but I loved it as a child so I had 3 or 4 of his books. Interesting that those Purple Crayon picture books were much longer compared to picture books these days.
  Pragmatic Mom recently posted…Best Bedtime Books to Read Aloud
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Elle Carter Neal
says:
March 5, 2013 at 4:51 am
What a clever poem! Time for Bed and Dancing Feet are favourites here.
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1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  March 5, 2013 at 2:52 pm
  Hi Elle,
  I love how this poem by Susan Marx brings so many books to life and that each of us has our own unique list of what bedtime books are particularly special to us!
  Pragmatic Mom recently posted…Best Bedtime Books to Read Aloud
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Ann
says:
March 5, 2013 at 5:08 pm
That was fun poem and a great bed time collection! There are several I don’t know and now want to check out!
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1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  March 7, 2013 at 8:34 am
  Hi Ann,
  Wow, you knew all the books but a few?! You should win some kind of award! That’s awesome and it’s so wonderful your kids have read so many great books with you!
  Pragmatic Mom recently posted…Kitchen on Fire and Fire Safety
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Lisa Nelson says:
March 6, 2013 at 12:07 am
So very excellent – as usual! Thanks Pragmatic Mom!
Lisa Nelson recently posted…Love of Books Week – Reading of Diary of a Wimpy Kid Cabin Fever
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1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  March 7, 2013 at 8:39 am
  Thanks Lisa!
  Pragmatic Mom recently posted…Kitchen on Fire and Fire Safety
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Mom and Kiddo @What Do We Do All Day? says:
March 8, 2013 at 10:50 am
I read How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight until I was blue in the face. I tapped up all the ripped pages and will keep it forever. Thanks for sharing at The Children’s Bookshelf.
Reply
1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  March 9, 2013 at 9:54 am
  Hi Mom and Kiddo,
  We love How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight a lot too, but not as much as you, I think, since our pages are still intact. Is it a board book now? It should be! Thanks for hosting The Children’s Bookshelf!
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BOYEATSWORLD
says:
March 8, 2013 at 5:50 pm
What a fantastic list. So many great books! 🙂
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1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  March 9, 2013 at 10:03 am
  Thanks so much Boys Eat World. I can’t take credit for the poem by Susan Marx but I do love all those books too!
  Pragmatic Mom recently posted…Education Search Engine: Noodle.org
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Katie @ Youth Literature Reviews says:
March 8, 2013 at 6:11 pm
Mia, this is such an amazing list! You’ve got a great mix of some of my childhood faves (Goodnight Moon, Corduroy) and modern faves (Goodnight Gorilla).
Thanks for sharing with the Kid Lit Blog Hop!
Katie recently posted…Friday Five: 1970s Kid Lit Favorites
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1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  March 9, 2013 at 10:04 am
  Hi Katie,
  Thanks so much for hosting Kid Lit Blog Hop! I can’t take credit for Susan Marx’s poem but I was happy to find all our favorite books on her awesome list!
  Pragmatic Mom recently posted…Education Search Engine: Noodle.org
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Pip
says:
March 8, 2013 at 10:01 pm
Thanks for the extensive list – always keen to have new inspiration – once you read the same one for 5 nights running. Haven’t heard from a few in these – definitely bookmarking. Cheers, Pip
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1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  March 9, 2013 at 10:08 am
  Thanks Pip,
  I know what you mean by repetitive reading of same bedtime book. There are so many good ones here that I hope you get to mix it up too though sometimes your kids won’t let you!!
  Pragmatic Mom recently posted…Education Search Engine: Noodle.org
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Bethany @ No Twiddle Twaddle
says:
March 11, 2013 at 6:54 am
Thanks for this list. It contains so many of our favorites.
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1. Pragmatic Mom says:
  March 11, 2013 at 6:24 pm
  Hi Bethany,
  What are your favorite bedtime books? It must be hard to choose just a few!
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