Skip to main content

Books to Read... When You're Sleepy

Need a little help winding down at the end of the day? Brain buzzing with questions? Let the soothing illustrations, silly hijinks, and gentle language of these books get you in the right mindset to drift off to dreamland. 

The Bedtime Book of Impossible Questions
Written by Isabel Thomas
Illustrated by Aaron Cushley
New York: Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2023. Informational. 95 pages.

Have you ever lain awake at night because you couldn't stop thinking about a certain topic or question? Everyone has been there. Enters The Bedtime Book of Impossible Questions to set your mind at ease. Loosely encyclopedic with whimsical illustrations, this book sets out to answer impossible questions, such as: "How do we know that unicorns never existed?," "Do wasps know they hurt people when they sting?," and "How big is the universe?" So whether it's you personally or an inquisitive young one, prepare to have curiosity appeased and the stage set for a more restful night of sleep.

Good Night, Body
By Britney Winn Lee and Borghild Fallberg
Nashville: Thomas Nelson, an imprint of Thomas Nelson, 2023. Informational. 

Sometimes finding a way to calm down a restless body is integral to being able to peacefully head to dreamland. Good Night, Body ushers the reader through a series of motions chosen to help in this bedtime process. Individual parts of the body are addressed throughout the book, for example: "Hello, face. May you be slouchy like a blanket. Smooth any forehead wrinkles and fluff out those cheeks," culminating in a consciously relaxed body.

By Landis Blair 
New York: Margaret Ferguson Books, Holiday House, 2023. Picture Book.

The Night Tent offers a peculiarly magical take on the nighttime journey of a young boy after he takes refuge under his quilt and finds a fantastical land. Following a path illuminated by stars, his adventure becomes increasingly wonderous until he journeys back home, comes out from under his quilt, and immediately falls asleep.

By Vanessa Roeder
New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2022. Picture Book.

The Stack begins with a girl on a determined mission. Her mission? To stack items as high as possible. But what could she possibly be trying to reach that requires her to stack her neighbor's house, a whale, and her grandpa's station wagon? Sweetly rhyming text combined with humorous dialogue bubbles scattered throughout, this book is sure to be a repeat read aloud request. 

 










Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Faker

Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...

Review: Umami

  Umami By Jacob Grant New York: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2024. Picture Book. Umami is a little penguin who is sick of eating the same thing everyday, cold fish --ugh! She becomes determined to find new foods and flavors, so Umami begins a journey across the sea in search of something different to eat. She reaches a place with a plethora of delicious options, and tries bitter, sweet, sour, and foods with umami (just like her name!) among others. Umami decides to bring all these delicious new flavors back for the other penguins to try in a feast. But, will the other penguins enjoy this new experience?  Filled with charm and humor, Umami is a diverse romp through a universal experience --am I willing to try something new? What will it be like? The idea of trying new foods and flavors make it especially relatable, and the appealing illustrations will have many readers ready to hop out on a culinary adventure. A humorous and sweet ending, caps off this delig...

Five Faves: Easy Readers of 2024

Hello world! I know you have been anticipating the release of this list all year... my favorite easy readers! Whether they're funny or sweet, these titles are all great for kids taking their first steps for reading. So without further ado...here are my five favorite easy readers of 2024. Lone Wolf Goes to School Written by Kiah Thomas Illustrated by K-Fai Steele New York: Neal Porter Books/Holiday House, 2024. Easy Reader.  Lone wolf would spend all of his time alone if he could. Unfortunately, he has to go to school with the "snotty" kids, and even when he leaves school there's people at the beach, on the mountains, and at the movie theater. What's a wolf to do? Invite them all to a party at his house and then leave so that all the places he wants to be are empty, of course! If you're looking for a moralistic read-aloud that will teach the virtues of making friends so that you aren't lonely, you should definitely look elsewhere. However, if you're loo...