Alternative Bedtime Books

Bedtime books will always be popular, but the best are not generally found among the obvious or the bestselling. If you're looking for alternatives, here are some of our favourites.

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman

Rabbits, badgers and other animals shelter besides a bear, asleep in his cave. But however much noise they make, the bear snores on. When he finally awakes, he finds the other animals are the ones snoring. Available as a paperback picturebook or board book with 'snore' sound button.

Dream Animals by Emily Winfield Martin

An imaginative journey featuring the animals of the zodiac, with dreamy illustrations and prose that will have you drifting off to sleep in no time. I'm beginning to get a bit sleepy just thinking about it.

When the Moon Smiled by Petr Horacek

A peep-through counting book by the author of The Mouse Who Ate the Moon and many other lovely picturebooks. At the end of a day on the farm, the moon looks down and lights a star for each of the animals to send them off to sleep.

Goodnight Hoot

by Rowena Blyth

A board book full of cut out concentric holes, each ringed by a different animal habitat. One by one, we say goodnight to the rabbit in his burrow, the ladybird on her leaf, the bird in his nest... Yawn... Where was I?...

I Took the Moon for a Walk by Carolyn Curtis and Alison Jay

A boy takes the moon for a walk down the street, over the bridge, carefully dodges the church spire... Like Dream Animals, this is a gentle imaginative journey with soft illustrations and... Ooh... Quite fancy a nap actually.

Funny Bones

by Allan Ahlberg

Less obviously a bedtime book, but it's got rhythm and nighttime and many other good things. This used to be my favourite bedtime book when I was a child. I like to think it helped me to love books as well as to get a good night's sleep... Ahhh... Would anyone notice if I nodded off at this desk?... I'll just rest my eyes...