Our 17 Favorite Children’s Picture Books About Bedtime

When you’ve had one of those very long days, sometimes you need a whole book that says “Hey kid? LIGHTS OUT!” So here’s a list of awesome books about bedtime, enjoyable by adult and child alike. It’s almost like children’s book authors know how much the parents of young children crave sleep and welcome assistance in achieving their sleep-related goals from literature…

My picture book posts were originally published and then occasionally expanded between 2012-2015, with reviews based on reading with my kiddo between preschool age and about eight years old. As of 2023-24, I’m freshening up my lists and adding more recs.

Ten, Nine, Eight (1983) by Molly Bang

Great for babies through toddlers and preschoolers. It’s sweet without being cloying, a quiet love between dad and daughter. There’s also a slightly mischievous cat in the background. Even if you are not currently acquiring books for children (yours or someone else’s), if you have any interest in art and/or African-American literature, take a look at this one.

(This is probably going to offend some people, but this was my substitute for Goodnight, Moon because I like it so much more.)

At Night (2007) by Jonathan Bean

Her family is asleep, but she’s too restless. What’s a city girl to do? Go up to the roof, of course, with blanket and pillow. Soft, still, lovely, peaceful. We have checked this out from the library multiple times. I may buy a copy even though my kiddo is a teenager now.

The Secret Plan (2009) by Julia Sarcone-Roach

This is a “not-quite-ready-for-bedtime” book! Milo the elephant and his cat neighbors Henry, Hildy, and Harriet are great friends and have lots of fun together. The fly in the ointment? They always have to go to bed! So they devise a plan to stay up forever. In the end, they do go to bed, but the secret playtime they have first was so intriguing to my six year old that I felt compelled to ask him what he thought would happen if the friends stayed up every night that late. “They would be SO tired” was the response. Good boy!

Bedtime for Mommy (2010) by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Grownup-kid role reversal books tend to be popular with kids, but this one was fun for me too because Pham’s drawings of the characters get their body language so wonderfully. The look on Dad’s face at the end is priceless.

Charlotte Jane Battles Bedtime (2011) by Myra Wolfe, illustrated by Maria Monescillo

Charlotte Jane, like her parents, is a pirate through and through. And she’s not happy with this whole “bedtime” idea, so she decides she just won’t. After all, it keeps her from doing all the fun stuff! But will the fun stuff be as fun without any sleep? Monescillo’s art is so rich, I loved looking at it. One of our fave kids’ books about pirates, too!

Good Night, Gorilla (1994) by Peggy Rathmann

So funny and so clever. It’s a classic for a reason.

“Good night, Gorilla.
Good night, Elephant.

It’s bedtime at the zoo, and all the animals are going to sleep. Or are they? Who’s that short, furry guy with the key in his hand and the mischievous grin?

Good night, Giraffe.
Good night, Hyena.

Sneak along behind the zookeeper’s back, and see who gets the last laugh in this riotous good-night romp.”

Max’s Bedtime (1998) by Rosemary Wells

Back in the day, one fellow parent told me that she wants to strangle the animated versions of Max and Ruby. I haven’t seen them so I don’t know. But within the big, big list of Max and Ruby books are a few that I really quite enjoy! Short, funny board books are like good all-ages jokes. This is one of those. Especially the results when Ruby throws the (spoiler redacted).

Don’t Let The Pigeon Stay Up Late (2006) by Mo Willems

“Needing to brush his teeth, a bus driver asks the reader to make sure that the pigeon goes to bed on time–but the bird has many excuses about why it should stay awake.”

This publisher blurb undersells the beautiful ridiculousness of the Pigeon books so badly that I feel like someone should be arrested.

And here are the books I’ve read on my own since my kiddo got too old for them; they’re all fantastic! I haven’t had a chance to write reviews or pull the covers yet, but click on through and see if one of them might be perfect for you.

And that’s the list!