Goodnight Already! by Jory John

Bear is very tired and ready to sleep for a LONG time.  Bear is settling in for a long nap when he hears a knock at the door.  Duck has come over and he is NOT tired.  Duck has lots of ideas of things they could do:  play cards, start a band, make a smoothie, read books, etc.  Bear does NOT want to do anything except sleep.  Duck is not willing to give up so easily.  Will Bear every get to sleep?  Hilarious, funny book perfect for bedtime.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Bedtime at the Nut House By Eric Litwin

It is bedtime….parent's favorite part of the day, after it is over!  Mama Nut is trying to get Hazel and Wally to bed.  Wally and Hazel are not ready for bed and would rather do anything BUT go to sleep.  Eric Litwin, one of the original Pete the Cat duo, is sure to sing his way into the hearts of kids everywhere with his catch too.  Be sure to go to www.TheNutFamily.com

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

On My Way To Bed by Sarah Maizes

"BEDTIME!!"  The time of day that *some* parents rejoice and *most* kids dread but not if you are Livi!  For Livi that word is the beginning of an adventure.  From teetering on a high wire, the crowd holding its breath, to checking a hippo for cavities, her time as a magician, and a swim across the ocean floor, Livi's journey to bed is full of excitement and danger.  But how will Livi be in the morning?  Adorable book which MANY children can relate to, and many parents could write their own verision. 

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

*Same author/illustrator team also wrote On My Way to the Bath! 

Goodnight Baseball by Michael Dahl

A little boy spends the afternoon at the ball field watching an exciting baseball game.  When it is time to go home, the boy must bid goodnight to everything he sees at the park that day.  A "grown up kid" Good Night Moon!  Very cute for all the baseball lovers.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

I Dare You Not To Yawn by Helene Boudreau

The perfect bedtime story....for both parent and child.  You will be yawning before the end of the first 5 pages.  In this book a boy is trying to fight the urge...YAWN.....the power of....YAWN......the contagious power of the.....YAWN......  By giving sure fire ways to avoid the YAWN.....like avoiding "huggable stuffed animals, soft cozy pajamas, and your favorite blankie" you might actually be able to avoid yawning and the dreaded bedtime.  But you will also want to avoid the "sleepy-time songs about twinkling stars or baaing sheep, especially the counting kind".  A very funny, enjoyable book that adults will be able to relate to as well.  Would be great for dramatic read aloud....if you can stay awake.

Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

WHAT! Cried Granny: An Almost Bedtime Story by Kate Lum

This one wins the prize (I think) for the oldest copyright on my blog thus far: 1998 (in Great Britain). Gasp! But I found it to be hilarious....and I am not sure KIDS would find it nearly as funny as ADULTS! Patrick is spending the weekend at his Granny's house. As bedtime neared Patrick points out to Granny that he does not have a BED! Uh oh! So Granny, being obviously SUPER GRANNY, heads outside to cut down trees and then heads to workroom to construct a bed. Life is good until Patrick points out he also does not have a PILLOW! Granny heads to the henhouse to collect feathers before heading to her sewing room to make a pillowcase. Things continue in the same manner for quite some time until all is perfect for Patrick to go to bed BUT.....it is MORNING! Pretty funny to those of us that have tried to convince a child to go bed....Kids may also find the whole exaggerations involved in Super Granny's many talents, from sewing to woodshop, quite a amusing.

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves
Endpages: 4 Buckeye leaves (decorated....but I am not sure what the connection between the book and the design is....)

Back to Bed, Ed by Sebastien Braun

Ed loves going to bed. He goes through the same routine every night. "Ed loved going to bed...but Ed hated staying in bed..." And every night Ed would climb out of his bed and tiptoe down the hall to his parents room, climb in bed with them, and then sleep soundly all night. Unfortunately his parents were not so lucky. Ed's parents MUST come up with a plan to keep Ed in bed! And they are finally successful....at least with Ed! We have been very lucky at our house....we know this...our 3 year old has only ONCE left his bed in the middle of the night and come to our bedroom. That is NOT to say we have not been called into his room. THAT has happened often. I really hope that reading this book to Adam won't give him the idea to come to our bed...ha ha! What I like the most about this book is the sounds Ed makes as he gets ready for bed. "Clip clop. Sip sip. Splish splash." All fun for kid's to use in their own language to describe things. Great bedtime book....and may help plant the idea in some little kiddo's head to stay in bed!

Text: 3 Buckeye Leaves
Illustrations: 3 Buckeye leaves

Itsy Mitsy Runs Away by Elanna Allen

Itsy Mitsy hates....bedtime! In order to avoid bedtime she decides it is time to run away. As she prepares to run away, her dad decides she is going to need help. As the packing begins, it does not take the reader long to realize this is no ordinary running away trip! In order to survive on her own, especially keep the BEDTIME BEASTIES away, she is going to need alot of items. Kids will love the ridiculousness of all of the stuff, though they might not realize at first.

Text: 5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves (I especially like the "beasties")
Endpages: 4 Buckeye leaves

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker

A little boy's DREAM....and we have been waiting for this one!
It is bedtime at the construction site and all the trucks - from crane truck to cement truck to dump truck and on - must finish their job and go to sleep.
"He lowers his bed, locks his gate,
Rests his wheels; it's getting late.
He dims his lights, then shuts his doors,
And soon his engine slows to snores.
Shh...goodnight, Dump truck, goodnight."
A great bedtime story for the truck loving boys in your life - this will probably be a purchase for our house! Tom Litchenheld, as always, creates wonderful illustrations, creating great faces for the trucks.

Story: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves (Be sure to check out the endpages....day at the front and night at the back!)

Chicks Run Wild by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

I can relate to mother chicken....you put the kid(s) to bed, walk out the door, and....PARTY TIME!!! Told in rhyme, poor mother chicken just can't get the 5 chicks to go to bed. What is that saying? If you can't beat them, then join them? So she does until THEY beg to go to bed! I think the illustrations are hilarious. I love the little chick with the glasses and something about a little chick hitting another little chick over the head with a down pillow just cracks me up! Kids will love the book or at least get some new bedtime ideas!!

Story: 4 Buckeye Leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves

Can't Sleep Without Sheep by Susanna Leonard Hill

"Ava had a hard time falling asleep. Her mind was always so busy!" I laughed when I saw this beginning line in Can't Sleep Without Sheep..I am guessing most adults reading this book can relate to this. I found this books to be hilarious though, I am not sure the almost 3 year old got all the humor. The sheep are tired of visiting Ava every night and trying to help her go to sleep. The sheep propose having other animals take over their responsibilities in helping her go to sleep. A number of other animals, chickens, cows, pigs, hippos, etc, "apply" for the job and try their hand at jumping over Ava's fence. Ava and the sheep soon realize the best "animal" for the job is the sheep and things return to normal.

Illustrations are adorable and funny. Love the endpages with the sheep in night hats! Cute!

Story: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye Leaves