The Best Bedtime Stories for Kids | Read Them to Sleep

Tiger and Crocodile are looking for a kiss goodnight... The perfect Valentine's gift from the creators of runaway bestselling While We Can't Hug

A slyly hilarious bedtime picture book by Saturday Night Live actor Bobby Moynihan.

Everyone knows that sheep are boring. That's why people count them to fall asleep. Right? Don't be so sure...

Chase the silvery light of the moon across the sleeping world in this elegant modern lullaby.

Hooray! Hooray! It's Unicorn Night! Thelma the Unicorn meets Uni the Unicorn in this rainbow-packed book guaranteed for bedtime fun! This clever, colorful, and over-the-top picture book about unicorns and unique-corns is a MUST for all unicorn lovers!

From the author-illustrator of The Best Worst Poet Ever comes a delightfully zany and hilarious picture book about a young girl’s campaign against uncomfortable pajamas.

As the sun sets, three siblings discover nature’s nighttime beauty in this soothingly rhythmic and gorgeously illustrated bedtime picture book from the acclaimed author-illustrator team behind Green on Green.

In this incandescently fun, hijinks-filled picture book, a young girl schemes to keep the sun up in the sky so she never has to go to bed.

For little ones reluctant to say good night, this laugh-out-loud story from beloved author Jory John and internationally acclaimed illustrator Olivier Tallec will guide them through different methods of falling asleep―until they might just get tired after all.

Celebrate the fun everyday blessings of daddy-and-me time with this silly role-reversal bedtime story that trains kids how to get a busy father to bed. Whether your day includes outdoor playtime, a ballgame, chores, or an action-packed performance, just follow these tips to be sure Daddy will have no problem getting to sleep.

Celebrate the precious everyday blessings of mommy-and-me time with this funny role-reversal bedtime story that trains kids how to get a busy mother to bed, beginning with the first step: start early. Whether your day includes breakfast in bed, shopping, chores, or something fancy, just follow these tips to be sure Mommy will go out like a light when it’s time for bed.

In Woodland Dreams, young readers say goodnight to beloved woodland animals as they prepare to sleep.

This sweet bedtime book is at once a picture book and a lullaby, pairing familiar bedtime routines with nonfiction elements.

It's time for bed and this little octopus is more than happy to volunteer! He's all ready to put his parents to bed! Bath time, putting on pajamas, brushing teeth, and tucking everyone in is a whole new challenge when the kid is in charge (and especially when everyone has eight arms!). From bestselling author Sherri Duskey Rinker and award-winning illustrator Viviane Schwarz comes a romping, rhyming, hilarious tale sure to entertain wiggly bedtime readers everywhere.

In this fast-paced world, relaxing and preparing for sleep can be difficult for children. This beautiful, fact-filled book helps ease bedtime struggles with mindfulness, muscle relaxation, gentle yoga poses, visualization, and other exercises proven to help kids release stress and anxiety, clear their minds, get ready for bed, and fall asleep faster while also boosting happiness and improving overall health.

It’s nighttime down on the farm. The animals are in the barn and it’s time to say a soft and cozy, "Night, night." Say goodnight to the horse, the dog, and all their farm friends, as you turn the shaped pages and watch as the animals go to sleep, one by one. The gentle rhymes and sleepy tone make Night Night Farm perfect for settling your little one into bed and ending with your own, quiet, "Night, night."

Written specifically for bedtime, this story is full of magic, big paws, fluffy fur and little claws! Weaving a journey from lively beginning to gentle end, the 10 minute countdown to bed is at the heart of this enchanting story. But will Belch the monster get to bed on time? This beautifully illustrated picture book is the perfect length for sending little ones off to sleep.

Rabbit doesn't want to go to bed, so he decides to kidnap The Dark and trap it in a cookie tin so he can stay up all night long. But then The Dark reminds Rabbit of all the good things that darkness brings. What about all the nocturnal animals? And surely you can’t have a yummy breakfast of toast and honey and fresh orange juice unless you've been to bed? But the BEST thing about the dark, of course, is reading a really good bedtime story!

Mommy needs to wrangle her sweet creature in bed so that the whole family can sleep. From tigers to squirrels to snakes, the little boy dodges around his bedtime, until he is tired enough to finally sleep. His imaginative animal friends weave their way through the illustrations, eventually joining him in curling up for the night.

The sun is sinking low over the savanna, and all the animals are getting ready to go to sleep. But when Albie the warthog’s mother calls him to bed, Albie dashes off to play instead. Will the cheetahs run a race with him? Not now—they’re getting a bedtime story. 

Here's the perfect bedtime read-aloud for the very youngest child. Filled with fun noises--click clack, click clack--and a repeating refrain--good night, good night, sleep tight--this story is sure to have kids chiming in as they follow the antics of these bunnies who won't stay in bed. Kids will identify with these mischievous bunnies and their desire to play--while parents will empathize with Mama and Daddy's struggle to get them to SLEEP.

A sweet bedtime lift-the-flap follow-up to bestseller Peek-a-Boo Farm -- from beloved creator Joyce Wan!

To stay up past bedtime, you’ve got to fight the night. Flashlight in hand, a determined Ronald sets out to battle sleep in this refreshed edition of Tomie dePaola’s spirited 1968 picture book.

Cranky Crab is NOT ready for bed. The sea creatures around him are all drifting off to sleep, but he just wants to eat snacks and play! Maybe what he really needs is... a bedtime kiss!

There is always time to read together with this deluxe treasure-trove of five-minute stories, fables, and well-loved fairy tales. There are over 50 easy-to-read stories to enjoy in this enchanting collection - and each one fits perfectly into the beginning, middle or end of a very busy day!

Cuddle Up, Cows! tells the story of some lively little cows who would rather stay out and play than settle down for bed. Kids can help Grandma Cow calm her young herd by coaxing them to cuddle up!

Sing and dance along with Baby Shark as he gets ready for bed in this playful song and story -- the follow-up to the bestselling picture book!

Why is the ocean blue? What is the rain? What happened to the dinosaurs? It might be time for bed, but one child is too full of questions about the world to go to sleep just yet. Little ones and their parents will be charmed and delighted as a patient father offers up increasingly creative responses to his child’s nighttime wonderings.

It's daytime and night animals are all sleeping soundly. Well, all except for Possum. Skunk tries to be helpful, pointing out a cave, then a tree, then a den. But the more places Possum tries to sleep, the more night animals he wakes up. Will Bear, Wolf, Skunk, and Possum ever find a good day's rest?

Running through the jungle, Rumble the triceratops is off on an adventure! But will he get to bed on time? Written specifically for bedtime, this story is full of muddy puddles, tropical birds, erupting volcanoes, and one fun-loving little dinosaur. Adorable and heartwarming, this ten-minute countdown to bed is the perfect picture book to send little ones off to sleep.

Share a Moment at the end of the day with your child. Listening and talking with your child sends a wonderful message of caring and love. And the simple practice of bringing a gentle, accepting attitude to the present moment can help minimize anxiety and increase happiness.

Join in the bedtime fun with all your favorite Disney characters! Watch the shooting stars with Bambi and Thumper, look for ghosts in the castle with Anna and Elsa, save the day with Dante and Pepita, and more!

In Sleepyville, the sun is setting, and animal families are heading home for the night. After milk and cookies, everyone has fun brushing their teeth and picking out their favorite pajamas--stripes, plaid, or polka-dots?Then, under twinkling stars, it's time to wiggle into their cozy beds for lullabies and bedtime stories.

It’s an exciting day for Llama Llama; he’s going to visit Gram and Grandpa Llama and spend the night! His first night away from home….and from Mama. But he makes sure to pack everything he needs. And there are so many fun things to do with Gram and Grandpa. It’s not until he gets ready for bed that he realizes that he’s forgotten something important. Fuzzy Llama!

Everyone's favorite babysitting dog is back, and this time he's putting the everybody to bed! In Goodnight, Good Dog Carl, Carl tucks everyone in, makes sure all is well in the house, as a Good Dog should, and then settles down to sleep himself.

Will Owl ever get a good night's sleep? He's ready for bed, but as soon as he settles in, he hears a strange noise. He looks everywhere--in his cupboard, underneath the floorboards -- even in his walls. He'll never get to sleep unless he can figure out what's going on! But as he's busy tearing his house apart, he doesn't notice one tiny, squeaky, mouse-shaped detail -- the culprit!

Follow along as three children learn about the bedtime routines of squirrels, parrots, dolphins, and many more. Meerkats sleep in a stack. Is that how these kids go to sleep? Or do they hibernate in snow all winter long like frogs? Or maybe they sleep the day away like skunks? No, that can't be right!

Little Monster needs to get ready for bed. That means howling at the moon, scrubbing his scales, getting into his creepy PJs, and enjoying a nice snack before bed: worm juice and baked beetle bread. And, of course, Little Monster’s mother is nearby to tuck Little Monster into bed and turn on his night-light—because even little monsters can be afraid of the dark. Bonnie Leick’s soft, child-friendly illustrations rendered in watercolor bring a new and quiet twist to the evening’s bedtime ritual. Sweet dreams, Little Monster!

Mr. Fish can't fall asleep in The Pout-Pout Fish and the Can't-Sleep Blues, an unabridged board book conversion of the original jacketed hardcover in the New York Times bestselling Pout-Pout Fish series by writer Deborah Diesen and illustrator Dan Hanna.

It's evening in the forest and Little Owl wakes up from his day-long sleep to watch his friends enjoying the night. Hedgehog sniffs for mushrooms, Skunk nibbles at berries, Frog croaks, and Cricket sings. 

It's bedtime for Marco and his stuffed animals, but the animals have other ideas. When Marco tries to put them away, they fly, swim, and slither right out of their bins! Can Marco sort the animals so everyone is happy? A playful exploration of sorting and classifying, featuring Latinx characters and a note about scientific classification.