Favourite Bedtime Stories
It’s nearly time for bedtime stories. The day is coming to a close and whether your child has been a little angel or let’s say “challenging”, you have the chance to finish off the day on a beautiful note. It’s time to snuggle up and share an enjoyable moment together. Bedtime stories are the best!
My favourite bedtime stories for toddlers
We’ve had a few favourite board books we used to read in our household. Here are a few we liked.
Where is the Green Sheep by Mem Fox.
This book is a great story for young kids who are learning simple basics like colours, actions and states. In a lovely rhyme, we are looking for the green sheep. We find lots of other sheep doing lots of fun things. From the circus acts to slippery slides, the sheep are doing stunts and exploring different places and activities. But it’s not until the final page where we find the green sheep fast asleep which of course, is the perfect end to a bedtime story!
Time For Bed by Mem Fox
A simple and sweet rhyming bedtime story for young children around the 2 – 4 year old age range. Young animals are being told it’s their bedtime by their parent. From sheep to foals to bees and all the way until the final couple of spreads are a child with their parent or carer which you instinctively assume the role to share your bedtime “goodnights” with your little one.
My favourite bedtime stories for 3 – 8 year olds
Picture books are great! Your child is growing and can get lost watching the pictures and can interpret them more and more alongside your voice as you read the words. Here are some of the most read and favourites in our household.
I’m a Dirty Dinosaur by Janeen Brian
On the younger end of this age group, this story was one we’d pull out regularly. It’s the perfect story for after a day of getting all dirty from playing outside, splashing in puddles and all the fun stuff like that.
Dinosaur gets dirty all over. Each spread or two, a new body section gets dirty in a fun, muddy or dirty activity. I’m a dirty dinosaur has a terrific rhythmical beat as you rollick through this dirty adventure towards a satisfying end when Dinosaur becomes all clean again. Highly recommended.
Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site
I loved reading this story with my son when he was around 4 or 5 years old. It’s a perfect bedtime story because all the construction vehicles have worked hard all day and are settling down for their sleep. Which is probably the same as your child. One by one, they settle down for the night after doing their specific tasks for the day.
Does your child love seeing construction site vehicles? Do they practically hyperventilate at the sight of a bulldozer or excavator? If so, this could be a great bedtime story for you to share with your little one.
The Book With No Pictures – Probably my son’s favourite bedtime story
Oh boy… this has got to be the most requested book in our household for sure. It sounds boring from the title, right? Wrong! You, the reader are taken advantage of while your child beams at the things you have to say. You, the reader, are obliged to read the words on the page and the author takes no mercy on you. You are forced to sing and say all sorts of words (and nonsense non-words) all for the amusement of your child.
It works best if you practise it a few times before reading it to your child the first time to get into character. There are big and small words. The small words are the words you are supposed to say to your child as if you’re speaking to them directly, not as part of the story. The Book With No Pictures is a blast and if you really get into character, your child will love it even more.
Pig The Pug – Another favourite
Ahh, good old Pig the Pug. There’s a whole series of which we have a few. Such a cheeky little pug with so much character and over-the-top expressions. Get ready to laugh at the slapstick moments and learn by way of example of what not to do. But Pig is still very likeable, even if he makes mistakes. The expressive illustrations really capture Pig’s personality and make the books extra fun.
Buy Now or grab a box set of Pig the Pug books
The Monster at the End of This Book
Do you remember this when you were growing up? It was one of my personal favourites growing up. I found it super nostalgic reading this with my son. There’s something nice about seeing your child experience something you loved so much when you were their age. Kind of like passing down something from one generation to another. Who knows? Maybe they’ll pass it on to their kids to one day.
In case you haven’t yet experienced this book, Grover sees the title of the book and gets scared about the monster at the end of the book. So, he does everything he can to stop you from getting to the end. He ties the pages together with rope. He builds a brick wall and begs and begs you not to turn the page.
This is one fun book and your child will love confidently turning pages as Grover crumbles under stress as you get towards the monster at the end of the book. Poor Grover doesn’t realise that he himself is the monster at the end of the book.
My Favourite Bedtime Stories for 6 – 9 year olds
The 13 Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton
Another classic. Andy and Terry (The author and illustrator) are the characters in their own book. They are late delivering their book (which they haven’t really started yet) to their publisher Mr Big Nose. But preventing them from making their new book is crazy events like a mermaid that turns into a sea monster, a giant gorilla mistaking their treehouse for a giant banana tree, a burp gas filled bubble gum bubble and many more zany situations and events. That gives you an idea of the type of humour in the Treehouse series.
Great for kids who love silly and funny books. If that’s your son or daughter, grab the first book in the series and I’m sure they’ll love it.
Or read my 13 Story Treehouse review
Ninja Kid – From Nerd to Ninja
This is a fun book about Nelson. A kid who develops Ninja skills overnight. He has to practise and overcome fears on his way to save Duck Creek from Tyranno spiders. His grandmother invents all sorts of gadgets for him and his cousin, Kenny just loves to eat. It’s a great series and I think we’ve read every book in the series that we could get our hands on.
Read my full Ninji Kid review for book 1.
The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
Have you ever felt judged because of your appearance or something out of your control? Wolf knows all about it. People always assume that he is bad just because he’s a wolf. But he’s on a mission to prove that he’s a good guy by forming The Good Guys club.
The Good Guys club is supposed to be a bunch of animals with a bad reputation on a mission to do good. The trouble is, only Wolf is really committed to this mission. It’s hilarious to watch him try and drag his friends through his missions to save a cat stuck up a tree or a stack of dogs from the dog pound.
Get the first book in the series now
My favourite middle grade stories
Brotherband
I really enjoyed Brotherband – The Stern Chase by John Flannagan. It’s a thrilling adventure on the seas. I love the detail of the sailing descriptions. It makes you feel like you’re there on the ship with the crew as they try and chase down a stolen ship before there was modern technology. Heaps of fun. Read the Brotherband – The Stern Chase review to find more information and decide if it’s a good fit for your kids.
Buy on Booktopia | Buy on Amazon
About me
This Bedtime Stories list was created by me, Andrew Dittmer author of Snuffy and coming soon Moxie vs Cat Memes that I hope people enjoy for their bedtime stories also. Thanks for listening and I hope you can enjoy another special storytime with your child soon!
And if you want to listen to audible bedtime stories. Here are some from the ABC
