# Best bedtime board books for babies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 24, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711 "2011-06-24T14:52:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711/1 "2011-06-24T14:52:05Z")
Part of Official Bedtime for our just-turned-one-year-old is a book. (\*\*Official Bedtime: \*\*Last Snack, then Bath (With Duck), then Book in the Big Bed, then Carrying to Crib, then Lullabye, then Kisses, then Lights Out / Fan On / Door Shut / Mommy and Daddy Don’t Come Back Unless Bloody Murder Is Screamed for More than Five Minutes.) It has to be a board book for a while yet because he gets to help turn pages. We would like more books to choose from that are bedtime-friendly – _[Hey! Wake Up!](http://www.amazon.com/Hey-Wake-Up-Sandra-Boynton/dp/0761119760/)_ doesn’t qualify, for instance. The boylet doesn’t care so much about variety, but we kind of do. Our current favorites – ones he seems to like that we like too – include: [ul] [li][_The Going-to-Bed Book_](http://www.amazon.com/Going-Bed-Book-Sandra-Boynton/dp/0671449028/)[/li][li][_Pajama Time!_](http://www.amazon.com/Pajama-Time-Sandra-Boynton/dp/0761119752/)[/li][li][_Mommy Hugs_](http://www.amazon.com/Mommy-Hugs-Anne-Gutman/dp/0811839168/)[/li][li][_Mommy Loves_](http://www.amazon.com/Mommy-Loves-Anne-Gutman/dp/0811846164/)[/li][li]_Daddy Kisses_[/li][li][_Counting Kisses_](http://www.amazon.com/Counting-Kisses-Kiss-Read-Book/dp/068985658X/)[/li][li][_The Belly Button Book_](http://www.amazon.com/Belly-Button-Book-Boynton-Board/dp/0761137998/)[/li][li][_Good Night, Gorilla_](http://www.amazon.com/Good-Night-Gorilla-Peggy-Rathmann/dp/0399230033//)[/li][li][_Night-Night, Little Pookie_](http://www.amazon.com/Night-Night-Little-Pookie-Books/dp/0375854096/)[/li][li][_Dinosaur’s Binkit_](http://www.amazon.com/Dinosaurs-Binkit-Sandra-Boynton/dp/0689822030/) (extra-super-duper favorite because of the lifty-flaps)[/li][li][_Guess How Much I Love You_](http://www.amazon.com/Guess-How-Much-Love-You/dp/0763621064/) (though this one makes the daddy tear up, every time)[/li][/ul] I’ve just now ordered [ul] [li][_Goodnight, Moon_](http://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Moon-Margaret-Wise-Brown/dp/0694003611/)[/li][li][_The Runaway Bunny_](http://www.amazon.com/Runaway-Bunny-Margaret-Wise-Brown/dp/0061074292/)[/li][li][_10 Minutes till Bedtime_](http://www.amazon.com/Minutes-till-Bedtime-Peggy-Rathmann/dp/0399237704/)[/li][/ul] We have most of the other Boynton board books, like [_Moo, Baa, La La La,_](http://www.amazon.com/Moo-Baa-Sandra-Boynton/dp/067144901X/) but we find they’re not as good for bedtime, being a bit boisterous. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Haunted\_Pasta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/94ad74/32.png) [@Haunted\_Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haunted_Pasta)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711/2 "2011-06-24T15:14:04Z")
[It’s Time to Sleep, My Love](http://www.amazon.com/Its-Time-Sleep-My-Love/dp/0312673361/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308927591&sr=1-1)- My wife just got this as a present for our 3-year-old and almost-2-year-old, for me to read to them while she’s traveling. I about choked up the first time reading it a couple of nights ago- it’s beautiful. For the nature lover, [If You Were My Baby: A Wildlife Lullaby](http://www.amazon.com/If-You-Were-My-Baby/dp/1584690755/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1308928493&sr=1-1). Also great. Not obviously a bedtime book at first, but the book closes with the parent tucking the baby into bed. We also made this a counting book: “How many white flowers are on this page?” and so forth. A couple of others beloved by both parents and little ones in our house were [Who Said Moo?](http://www.amazon.com/Who-Said-Moo-Harriet-Ziefert/dp/1929766475) and [Where Is My Baby?](http://www.amazon.com/Where-My-Baby-Life-Flap/dp/0694008559/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308928194&sr=1-1) by Harriet Ziefert and Simms Taback. Neither is specifically a bedtime book, but in both the day progresses with each page, the first ending at sundown and the second ending at night. The illustrations are terrific. Side note: Agreed- Guess How Much I Love You is a touching book for dads. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711/3 "2011-06-24T15:31:56Z")
[Go the F\*\*k to Sleep](http://www.amazon.com/Go-F-Sleep-Adam-Mansbach/dp/1617750255) There is an audio book version read by Samuel Jackson. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711/4 "2011-06-24T15:38:19Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > [Go the F\*\*k to Sleep](http://www.amazon.com/Go-F-Sleep-Adam-Mansbach/dp/1617750255) Disqualified – not a board book. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711/5 "2011-06-24T15:53:10Z")
> [@Haunted\_Pasta](#): > > [It’s Time to Sleep, My Love](http://www.amazon.com/Its-Time-Sleep-My-Love/dp/0312673361/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308927591&sr=1-1)- My wife just got this as a present for our 3-year-old and almost-2-year-old, for me to read to them while she’s traveling. I about choked up the first time reading it a couple of nights ago- it’s beautiful. Dude. I had to take this one out of the rotation, because I kept getting the baby wet with tears. I don’t know what it is about it, but it gets me every single time. DK Publishing puts out a whole slew of My First \_\_\_\_ Books that, for no reason I ever really understood, were my daughter’s absolute favorites from a very early age. There are no stories to them, just pictures and labels, so for a long time I dismissed them as “not for bedtime”. But you know, what? She loved them, well into her preschool years. So I used them at bedtime, too, 'cause…why not? [My First ABC Board Book](http://www.amazon.com/My-First-ABC-Board-Book/dp/0789427818) [My First Body Board Book](http://www.amazon.com/First-Body-Board-Book-Books/dp/0756602793) [My First Colors Board Book](http://www.amazon.com/First-Colors-Board-Book-Books/dp/0756602807/ref=pd_sim_b_1) and many more ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711/6 "2011-06-24T15:58:57Z")
“Touch the Art” series. Celtling is four and still pulls these out from time to time. The varied textures and themes are fantastic. The stories are not really great, just a few words to draw you from one page to the next. The overall experience is great though; and definitely my favorites of all the ones we had. > **[Art Books for Kids | Museum Gift Shop | The Met Store](https://store.metmuseum.org/books/kids-books?id=45)** > > Provide children in your life with inspiration and education by gifting them art books for kids from the Met Store. Cultivate their love of art with art-inspired gifts. There are also some “How do Dinosaurs” board books, and those are wonderful fun: > **[How Do Dinosaurs... Pocket Library: Scholastic, Yolen, Jane, Teague, Mark:...](https://www.amazon.com/How-Do-Dinosaurs-Pocket-Library/dp/0545086159)** > > How Do Dinosaurs... Pocket Library \[Scholastic, Yolen, Jane, Teague, Mark\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. How Do Dinosaurs... Pocket Library Enjoy! ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711/7 "2011-06-24T16:11:37Z")
These are great! I’ve ordered several from Amazon used already. > [@WhyNot](#): > > Dude. I had to take this one out of the rotation, because I kept getting the baby wet with tears… _Night-Night, Little Pookie_’s another one. _There are gentle winds blowing and stars all above you. Night-night, little Pookie I love you and love you. And love you and love you. And love you and love you.\*\*(sniffl)_ ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711/8 "2011-06-24T16:14:36Z")
**Goodnight Moon** has done the trick every time. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711/9 "2011-06-24T16:19:49Z")
> [@emmaliminal](#): > > _Night-Night, Little Pookie_’s another one. I’ll see your Little Pookie and raise you[On The Day You Were Born](http://www.amazon.com/Day-You-Were-Born/dp/0152579958) “On the day you were born a forest of tall trees collected the Sun’s light in their leaves, where, in silent mystery, they made oxygen for you to breathe…” _(snorrrrffffl)_ (Jeez, I’m actually crying, just from quoting that one line!) ---
**Author:** ![Haunted\_Pasta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/94ad74/32.png) [@Haunted\_Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haunted_Pasta)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711/10 "2011-06-24T16:32:33Z")
[quote=“emmaliminal, post:1, topic:586711”] [li][_Dinosaur’s Binkit_](http://www.amazon.com/Dinosaurs-Binkit-Sandra-Boynton/dp/0689822030/) (extra-super-duper favorite because of the lifty-flaps)[/li][/QUOTE] Missed this on first read. In case Who Said Moo? and Where’s My Baby? weren’t in that Amazon order, I’ll point out that they both have extra-super-duper-fun lifty-flaps, too. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711/11 "2011-06-24T16:38:58Z")
When we were buying some books for our impending babby we got a copy of [I’ll Always Love You](http://www.amazon.com/Ill-Always-Love-Paeony-Lewis/dp/1589253604/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308933091&sr=1-2) which is about a baby bear who asks his mother if she will always love him, even if he spills paint on the baby or has a big pillow fight, etc. The momma bear explains that of course she will always love him but that he will have to clean up his messes and be responsible for his actions. He breaks her favorite honey bowl and makes her a new one to replace it so she hugs him and says it is her new favorite bowl. When I was telling my MIL about the book my husband piped up and said, “Yeah, and she didn’t yell ‘this is why we can’t have nice things’ when the baby broke the bowl either!” I laughed so hard I nearly wet myself! ---
**Author:** ![Soliloquy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@Soliloquy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soliloquy)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711/12 "2011-06-24T16:42:34Z")
I know you’re not looking for stories, so much, but Goodnight Moon is awesome. My almost three year old now “reads” this book to me at night. Instead of saying goodnight to the “little old lady whispering ‘hush’”, he says “See you later, old man.” So cute! ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711/13 "2011-06-24T16:49:47Z")
It’s not a board book, but Elizabeth Sayles’ [The Goldfish Yawned](http://us.macmillan.com/thegoldfishyawned) is my favorite book for kids in the age range your kid’s moving into. Only about 100 words long, beautiful illustrations, a dreamscape that sets the mood for sleep. ---
**Author:** ![raspberry\_hunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@raspberry\_hunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raspberry_hunter)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711/14 "2011-06-24T16:49:57Z")
non-Boynton Books the Little One loves as night-night books: -Yeah, I’m not a big fan of Goodnight Moon myself, but that’s the current favorite. I read it on average four times between the time we wake up and when I go to work. -The Mini-Masters series by Julie Merberg and Suzanne Bober (paintings by great painters like Van Gogh and Monet) – the words are a little lame but the pictures are obviously awesome 🙂 -Each Peach Pear Plum (Ahlberg) – a favorite of mine as well as hers. I still find the pics interesting even after 18 months, which is rare. There’s a landscape at the beginning that shows all the places where the pictures in the book take place, so it’s fun for me to match them up while the Little One looks for Baby Bunting and the witch’s cat. Very highly recommended. -Good Night Gorilla (Rathman) – this one’s really cute. She likes the animals. She also finds the eyes in the dark funny, though I imagine not for the same reason an adult would. Fast read, which I find quite valuable for those nights when she’s overtired and I just want to get her in as soon as possible. -The Very Hungry Caterpillar – another one I’m not so fond of, but the Little One loves it. -Where is Baby’s Belly Button? (Karen Katz) – this is not a board book, but the Little One loves it so much I thought I’d mention it. It has flaps she can play with, you see, with fun things underneath it… like baby’s belly button. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711/15 "2011-06-24T16:54:16Z")
> [@Haunted\_Pasta](#): > > …In case Who Said Moo? and Where’s My Baby? weren’t in that Amazon order, I’ll point out that they both have extra-super-duper-fun lifty-flaps, too. Oh, they were, they were! Amazon order so far, some from here, others from Amazon’s nifty recommending algorithm:[ul] [li][_Who Said Moo?_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1929766475)[/li][li][_Where Is My Baby?_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1929766467)[/li][li][_Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go to Slee_p](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385610548)[/li][li][_I Love You Through and Through_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0439673631)[/li][li][_Kiss Good Night_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0763620947)[/li][li][_Hush Little Baby_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0811822907)[/li][li][_No Matter What_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0152063439)[/li][li][_I Like It When . . ._](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0152056491)[/li][li][_If You Were My Baby: A Wildlife Lullaby_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1584690909)[/li][/ul] A few others went to my Wish List, either because I think the boylet will like them more when he’s a little older, or because there aren’t any cheap used ones listed today. Oooh, and while I was typing you guys came up with more . . . ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711/16 "2011-06-24T16:59:51Z")
**raspberry hunter** , all three of us adore _Good Night, Gorilla_ partly because of the delightful complexity of the pictures – we especially love that most of the animals (except the lion, if I remember right) have stuffed animals to match themselves. And the mouse! with the banana! We have _The Very Hungry Caterpillar,_ which is one of MY favorites, but it doesn’t seem to hold my son’s interest very well. (We have a stuffed Very Hungry Caterpillar and a Previously Very Hungry Butterfly, and there were at least six _VHC_ sleepers in lovely bright colored velour when the boylet was smaller.) ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711/17 "2011-06-24T17:20:20Z")
Probably best for 18+ months, but I love _Tumble Bumble_. I had never heard of it before and a friend of mine bought it for my son when he was a baby. He loved it, so much so that I conveniently have the whole thing memorized for my daughter, who isn’t into books as much as my little boy was at the same age (something to do with us not letting her have a bottle in bed while we read - no requirement to hold still). ---
**Author:** ![Butterscotch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dc4da7/32.png) [@Butterscotch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Butterscotch)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711/18 "2011-06-24T19:08:14Z")
_What Shall We Do With the Boo Hoo Baby? Dear Zoo Owl Babies_ are all worth looking at, especially Dear Zoo which has flaps to open! Also fabulous is the Wibbly Pig series. We have had to stop reading \*Guess How Much I Love You \*AND _On The Night You Were Born_ because I just can’t get through them without crying… Top story in our house at the moment though is _The Mole Who Knew it Was None of His Business_ too funny for bedtime, look it up though, it’s disgustingly funny for little people! ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711/19 "2011-06-24T19:55:06Z")
Oooh! _What Shall We Do with the Boo Hoo Baby?_ comes in a bilingual Arabic edition! My husband speaks Arabic and we’ve looked and looked for Arabic baby books, finding none that look any good. We never saw that one! Oh. But the bilingual one isn’t a board book. Rats. _Owl Babies_ looks GREAT. We love owls! We love owlets even more! Well, now I’ve also ordered [ul] [li][_Wibbly Pig Likes Bananas_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670892653)[/li][li][_Owl Babies_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1564029654)[/li][li][_I’ll Always Love You_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1589258339)[/li][li][_Tumble Bumble_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0694013447)[/li][/ul] Hmmn. That’s 16 books today . . . maybe I should stop for now. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711/20 "2011-06-25T05:34:46Z")
What is a “board” book? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bedtime-board-books-for-babies/586711.md?page=2)