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Where Is Coco Going?
by Sloane Tanen (Bloomsbury USA, 2004)
Ages 2 to 5
A small, fluffy chicken with a bright pink bow goes on a grand trip around the world — via planes, trains, automobiles, and even a hot air balloon — all the way to Grandma’s house, where the chocolate-chip cookies have come right out of the oven. Tanen’s easy language and extravagant photographed dioramas are perfect for pre-readers.
Or try: For a completely different chick, pick up Paulette Bogan’s Goodnight Lulu (Bloomsbury USA, 2003). My children call me “Mama” because of repeated readings of Lulu’s endless questions to her mama about monsters in the night. Ages 4 to 7.
Freckleface Strawberry
by Julianne Moore, illustrated by LeUyen Pham (Bloomsbury USA, 2009)
Ages 4 to 8
Everybody has a dodgeball story to tell, even though this “sport” has been weeded out of the phys-ed programs in most schools. Moore sets her charming character in a battle of wits against the biggest bully in picture books, Windy Pants Patrick. And Freckleface’s courage is unmatched as she brings the forces of invisibility to bear and triumphs just in time for my daughter, Hedda, to go to sleep already.
Or try: Another red-headed, pigtailed girl with a big imagination stars in Sarah Weeks’s Paper Parade (Atheneum, 2004) as she dreams herself into the marching band passing by her window at nap time. Ages 4 to 7.
Time to Say Goodnight
by Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Jane Chapman (HarperCollins, 2006)
Ages 3 to 6
Why am I such a sucker for a book with a bunny on the cover, or, better yet, a whole family of bunnies? Lloyd-Jones gently guides us through the meadow and forest where sleepy animals, all beautifully rendered by Chapman, quiet down and get ready for bed while nocturnal animals awaken.
Or try: Home for a Bunny (1956), yet another sweet and simple tale from Margaret Wise Brown. Ages 2 to 5.
Goodnight, Me
by Andrew Daddo, illustrated by Emma Quay (Bloomsbury USA, 2007)
Ages 2 to 6
This book is both lovely and useful; it demonstrates a clever way to create a bedtime ritual in which children say goodnight to various parts of their bodies. In the story, a sweet-faced orangutan gets comfortable and eventually falls asleep with his mother’s help. If only it were so easy with human children!
Or try: Good Night, Gorilla (Putnam Juvenile, 1996). Peggy Rothman’s simple but delightful story, told almost entirely through pictures, features zoo animals sneaking out of their cages, following their zookeeper home, and climbing into his bed for the night. Ages 2 to 6.
The Little Prince
by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1943)
Ages 9 and older
The quintessential bedtime story for tweens, The Little Prince still fires the imagination with its intergalactic exploration of philosophical whimsy, as the Prince describes his solitary existence to a downed pilot in the Sahara. Add to the tale the dramatic detail of the author’s own plane disappearing somewhere over the Mediterranean less than a year after he wrote the book, and your grandkids will be riveted.
Or try: Ingrid Law’s Savvy (Dial, 2008), an electrifying new tale of a girl who is eager to discover whether or not her newly-acquired superpower will be enough to save her grandfather’s life. Ages 9 to 12.
Moon Rabbit
by Natalie Russell (Viking Juvenile, 2009)
Ages 3 to 6
I am completely smitten with Little Rabbit and her moonlit adventure to discover whether there is someone out there “just like her.” When she hears some lovely music playing in the park, she stumbles upon Brown Rabbit, who is nothing like her, making him the perfect friend. Russell is a papermaker, and has illustrated her adorable book with sumptuous prints.
Or try: Goodnight Moon (1947). No kidding. If you don’t have a copy in your house, get one. All ages.
Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late
by Mo Willems (Hyperion, 2006)
Ages 3 to 7
Let me be perfectly clear: Mo Willems is subversive. It may seem like he’s creating clever little books that get children to do what a parent wants, but trust me, he’s on their side. So although the pigeon in this book may seem to be yawning even as he is begging to stay up late, those yawns will go unmatched by your grandkids. They will be laughing so hard at being the ones who get to say “NO!” that they’ll be more awake at the end of the book than at the start. On the other hand, they’ll be in a great mood.
Or try: Knuffle Bunny (Hyperion, 2004), because I will read anything Willems writes, whether or not there happens to be a child in the room. You should, too. Ages 4 to 7.
