Reading any book is a soothing way to send your toddler off to dreamland — but stories about going to bed, sleeping, or dreaming are particularly suitable for bedtime, and can even help your child understand and accept bedtime rituals. The right book will also help your toddler view going to bed as a natural part of her day, and the recitation of daily activities will help her link words with objects and activities, as well as build her vocabulary. No matter which book you pull out at bedtime, read it in a soothing voice to help calm and reassure your toddler.
Once your child is 2, even a sleepytime book may need a bit of plot to hold her interest. But don't choose something too action-packed or one that introduces new concepts. After all, you want your child to be putting aside thoughts and worries before sleep, not grappling with new ones.
Here are some of our favorite books for toddlers, guaranteed to make at least one of you sleepy:
• The Big Red Barn, by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Felicia Bond
Follow the charming story of a day in the life of a group of farm animals told with appealing color illustrations and simple rhymes that even the youngest toddler can enjoy. A pink pig learns to squeal, a mouse is born in a field, and by the last page the baby animals are snuggling up with their parents for the night. If you're looking for bedtime books, this gentle tale is one of the best.
• Good Night, Gorilla, by Peggy Rathmann
When the zookeeper makes his nighttime rounds, one mischievous gorilla steals his keys and follows him, releasing the other animals from their cages one by one. Under a moonlit sky, they parade silently behind the sleepy zookeeper and follow him into his house, where the keeper's wife discovers them and escorts them back to their beds. Practically wordless, the book tells a delightful going-to-bed story with magical illustrations that will enchant your child.
• Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd
For decades children have taken the story of the little rabbit in Goodnight Moon to heart as he performs his evening ritual of saying goodnight to every object in his room, including "a comb, and a brush, and a bowl full of mush." Clement Hurd's illustrations start out intensely colored and gradually fade to shades of gray as the bunny grows drowsy. Many parents tell us they depend on this quintessential bedtime book to help their children nod off at night.
• Mama, Do You Love Me?, by Barbara M. Joose, illustrated by Barbara Lavallee
When you want your child to know your love is forever, this book offers a warm way to get that message across. A little girl poses a series of questions such as, What if I broke something? Played a trick on you? Ran away and lived with wolves? Her mother replies that no matter what, "I will love you, forever and for always, because you are my dear one." What better message to send your child off to dreamland with? Dashes of humor ("What if I put salmon in your parka ... and lemmings in your mukluks?") add a light touch, as do the joyful illustrations depicting a snowy landscape of sleds and sled dogs, wolves, walruses, and other animals.
• The Runaway Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd
When a young bunny threatens to run away and become a rock ... a fish ... a flower ... his mother joins him in his imaginary flight and assures him that she'll follow wherever he goes. It's a sweet story of the unconditional love of a mother for her child, told in soothing rhythms — an ideal book for helping your toddler go to sleep feeling safe and cared for.
• Snoozers: Seven Short Short Bedtime Stories for Lively Little Kids, by Sandra Boynton
Sandra Boynton's charming Snoozers serves up seven bite-size tales sweetened with humor to help reluctant sleepers get to bed with a giggle. Each little story takes a minute or less to read — so you can tailor bedtime reading to your child's attention span. Colorful tabs help kids turn the pages themselves. And the wonderfully absurd "Silly Lullaby" at the end just might become a family favorite: "Go to sleep, my zoodle / my fibblety-fitsy foo / Go to sleep, sweet noodle / The owl is whisp'ring, 'Moo.' "
• Sylvia Long's Mother Goose
Lavish illustrations filled with gentle animals create a magical backdrop for all the familiar Mother Goose rhymes, plus some you've never heard before. Scary images have been carefully softened: When Humpty Dumpty falls off the wall, a duckling emerges from his broken egg. And instead of whipping her children, the old woman who lives in a shoe "kissed them all sweetly and sent them to bed."
source from http://www.babycenter.com
