Reading is a huge part of our bedtime routine. So I am always looking for new books to add to our rotation. Check out this list of new bedtime books for kids, and find some new favorites for your family!

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At the Stroke of Goodnight

Written and illustrated by Clay Rice

In this soothing bedtime book, paper-cut artist Clay Rice pairs beautiful paper illustrations with a poetic text exploring the world around a little farmhouse at bedtime. Various animals are shown eating or settling in for the night, as a mother tucks her baby in to bed. The darkly colored illustrations use small white lines to illustrate the animals and people, making the nighttime scenes especially striking and beautiful.

The Girl and the Dinosaur

Written by Hollie Hughes and illustrated by Sarah Massini

When a little girl named Marianne finds dinosaur bones beneath the beach, she decides to name her new friend Bony. As she falls asleep that night, she makes a wish that her dinosaur friend could come to life. When Bony comes to her window, she climbs onto his back and they go out to explore the wonders of the world together. They meet fairies and unicorns, and even fly to a magical island in the clouds where they meet other kids and dinosaurs. As morning comes, the children drift back down to their beds. Soon the other children in town join Marianne on the beach to try to find their own magical dinosaur friends. The rhyming text is soothing, and the illustrations are full of magical sights, making this a great one for lulling little ones to sleep.

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It’s Not a Bed, It’s a Time Machine

Written by Mickey Rapkin and illustrated by Teresa Martinez

How is it possible that you close your eyes at night, and the next thing you know, it’s morning? This is the question posed to the little boy in this story by his stuffed bunny, Floppy. Floppy explains that his bed is actually a time machine, and together they dream up an amazing adventure back in the time of dinosaurs. Soon they are meeting new dinosaur friends and going on all kinds of amazing adventures. When the little boy wakes up, he is all set to tell his parents about his amazing dream, until he finds proof that it may not have been a dream after all. Kids will appreciate the creative story, while parents will enjoy how the book helps kids to deal with bedtime fears.

Bedtime (Animal Families)

Written by W. Harry Kim and illustrated by Rachael McLean

This adorable board book explores the many different ways that animals sleep. Each two page spread features easy to read text, asking how a species sleeps, while the adorable animal illustrations showcase different animal families. Kids will enjoy learning some of the interesting facts about animal sleep, while being drawn in by the sweet animal characters, and the ending which circles the story back around to the reader and their own nighttime rituals.

Related Post: The Bedtime Reading Routine That Will Help Your Kids Sleep

Sleep: How Nature Gets Its Rest

Written and illustrated by Kate Prendergast

This beautifully illustrated book introduces readers to the different sleeping habits of animals. The simple text shares how or where different animals sleep, before asking the reader whether they think the animals dream. Each page introduces a different species or two, with the easy to read text being brought to life by breathtaking illustrations. The back of the book includes a deeper dive into the sleeping habits of the animals featured in the story, giving animal lovers a chance to learn even more.

What Color is Night?

Written by Grant Snider

This lyrical book encourages the reader to explore the colors of nighttime. At first glance, the color of night is black, but the text and the illustrations dig deeper to point out all of the colors that can be seen at night. The illustrations are very dark and soothing, mimicking real nighttime scenes. The text is simple with only a phrase or two per page, and combined with the illustrations, provides the reader with a soothing bedtime lullaby. This is a great one to help little ones drift off to sleep.

What are your favorite bedtime books for kids? Share in the comments below!

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