Guest Author - Susan Thompson

One of the best things you can do to help your children learn, is to read to them. When my children were little our nightly routine was dessert, bath, books, then bed. Here’s a review of some great bed time books.

Good Night Moon – By Margaret Wise Brown. This story involves a young bunny getting ready for sleep. He postpones the inevitable by saying good night to almost everything in his sight including a pest of a mouse. The book is written I poem fashion and as you turn the pages, the illustrations get darker simulating impending nightfall.

Disney 365 Bedtime Stories – Nothing mundane about this bedtime book. Start out on January 1 and there is a story for every day of the year. Each day features different Disney characters and different adventures. All stories are one page so they are quick and easy to read.

Guess How Much I Love You – By Sam McBratney. Little Nutbrown Hare is the main character in this story. He knows it is getting close to bedtime and to put bedtime off a little, he has engaged his dad, Big Nutbrown Hare in a game of can you top this. It starts out with and “I love you this much….” With arms spread wide open for measurement and continues with various degrees of measurement of love. A very heart warming book.

A Chair for My Mother – By Vera B. Williams. This is a wonderfully written story of love and family. A little girl, her mother, and grandmother are saving up coins in a jar to purchase a new chair for their apartment. The family has lost all of their furniture in a fire and through hard work save enough money for a new chair. It is a tale of overcoming tragedy and moving on to bigger and better things.

Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me – By Eric Carle. Eric Carle is the author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me is a story of a little girl who asks her father to retrieve the moon from the sky so she can play with it. Will Papa get the moon out of the sky for Monica so she can play with it? You will have to read the book to find out. The story is written in true Eric Carle excellence, and includes a basic lesson on the lunar cycle.

In my opinion the above mentioned books are the best bed time books that are in print today. All of these books are available at your local library which is a great way to try new books out on your kids.

So, tonight turn off the tv, unplug the phone, and cuddle up with your kids and one of these wonderful books. Believe it or not, it won’t be long before your kids are reading to you.