Parents are bombarded with conflicting advice, but we know that the habit of reading to children is that rare thing: it is entirely and unassailably good. It boosts children’s language and literacy skills, it feeds their imaginations, and can even improve their sleep. But as parents, we’re often stressed and exhausted, and competing with the siren song of screens. It’s no surprise to find that a recent survey by the National Literacy Trust has found that half of parents do not read daily to children of pre-school age.
But if you can carve out a few minutes at the end of the day to snuggle up under the duvet together, it’s a very special kind of magic. For younger children, I’d suggest something gentle and rhythmic – a book that is ideally something that you can bear to read many times over.
Don’t feel you have to stop just because children can read independently. There’s something uniquely soothing about being read to; older children may appreciate you reading them a few pages before they finish the chapter themselves – or may still like whole novels read to them. Funny books will reel in even the most cynical tween. Or why not go for something strange and wonderful to fuel their dreams?
For older children, bedtime is a chance to explore something a bit more challenging, be it in the themes of the story, or the ingenuity of its language. Be guided by your own taste; take these 20 books as a foundation, but remember – you know your children best.
Youngest children
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Puffin, £7.99
An egg hatches and out pops a very hungry caterpillar. Food, counting and little holes for little fingers – since 1969, this caterpillar has stayed with generations of children as they, too, grow up into their beautiful selves.
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd
Macmillan, £7.99
This small picture book, first published in 1947, is set in a “great green room”. Together, you and your little one say a series of goodnights, first to the bedroom’s contents – “goodnight bears, goodnight chairs” – before opening out to say goodnight to the whole world: “Good night stars and good night air. Good night noises everywhere.”
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
Walker Books, £8.99
A bear has lost his hat. Now he’s asking his animal friends to help him find it. Told with deadpan humour, this is a story full of big feelings that small children will recognise. Plus, for those with the inclination, there are opportunities to do lots of wacky voices.
One Ted Falls Out of Bed by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Anna Currey
Macmillan, £7.99
Everyone knows Donaldson’s The Gruffalo, but check out this tender little book about a teddy who falls from the bed and can’t get back in. Toys spring to life and misbehave delightfully in this rhyming, counting and ultimately soothing story.
Oi Frog by Jim Field illustrated by Jim Field
Hodder £7.99
Cats sit on mats and hares sit on chairs. So what about frogs? Rhyming books work so well at bedtime, and if they’re funny, so much the better. Kids will soon be chanting along with you – because in the world of picture books, Oi Frog is an absolute banger.
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Patrick Benson
Walker Books, £7.99
Three little owls are waiting for their mother to return, and they are very worried indeed. Children’s fears loom largest at bedtime, and this gorgeous book may well be the catalyst for some conversations your family will remember always.
So Much by Trish Cooke, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
Walker Books, £7.99
The house is quiet, but then there’s a ding dong… who can that be at the door? There are lots of opportunities to kiss and cuddle your young listener in the telling of this story about a baby’s big and boisterous family.
Mog the Forgetful Cat by Judith Kerr
HarperCollins, £7.99
First published in 1970 and adored by generations of children ever since, there’s something so comforting, and tremendously relatable about sweet, daft puss cat Mog, who lives with the Thomas family, but can’t always remember how to behave nicely.
The Book With No Pictures by BJ Novak
Puffin, £8.99
As the book itself says, it might seem like no fun to have someone read you a book with no pictures. But this book makes the grown-up reader say some very silly things. And that’s before we even get to the noises… This book is completely original and an absolute riot.
Young Readers
Mr Gum and the Biscuit Billionaire by Andy Stanton, illustrated by David Tazzyman
Farshore, £7.99
Wicked Mr Gum meets a gingerbread man with electric muscles in this barmy story that will have even the wiggliest and most bedtime-reluctant child racing up the stairs. Kids can read this chapter book themselves, but heroine Polly’s full (and enormously long) name is at its best when spoken out loud.
The Explorer by Katherine Rundell
Bloomsbury, £8.99
A plane crashes in the Amazon rainforest, and four children are left to fend for themselves. But they are not alone. From one of the best children’s writers we have, Rundell’s story has everything: bravery, friendship, animals and – because she understands her young readership – snot.
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Puffin Classics, £9.99
There is something so utterly enchanting about the story of Heidi, an orphan child who goes to live in an Alpine house with her grandfather. First published in 1880, it’s a story of resilience and friendship, yes, but perhaps most of all, it’s about the fierce beauty of nature. Even now, I long to bed down in a hay loft under the stars.
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snickett
Farshore, £7.99
When the three Baudelaire children are orphaned in a fire, they are sent to stay with the wicked Count Olaf. And their misfortunes have barely begun… Wickedly funny and subtly full of heart, this gloriously gothic story will have kids begging for just one page more.
The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge
Lion Fiction, £9.99
Maria Merryweather is on her way to Moonacre Manor with her governess, Miss Heliotrope, and her spoiled dog Wiggins. It is here that she discovers the truth about her family, while making animal friends, having tremendous adventures, and (so important in a children’s book) being given lots of delicious things to eat.
A Dog So Small by Phillipa Pearce
Penguin, £7.99
Ben dreams of a dog of his own. When that dog does not come, he conjures one up in his mind. And Ben’s new dog is a marvellous and mysterious creature. This book, first published in 1962, is so very delightful, although reader beware: the last page is one of the greatest tearjerkers in children’s literature.
Older Readers
Holes by Louis Sachar
Bloomsbury, £7.99
A family history of bad luck lands Stanley Yelnats at Camp Green Lake detention centre, where he and his fellow inmates are set to work digging up the ground. Past and present come together in this gripping story that builds to an explosively joyful ending.
When Hitler Stole the Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr
HarperCollins, £7.99
Anna is an ordinary schoolgirl living in Berlin. It is only slowly that she notices the world around her beginning to change. Then, she and her brother Max are told to pack their things. But her favourite toy is left behind. Kerr was, herself, a refugee from Nazi Germany, and this book is useful way to open discussions about our own times. It’s a riveting story, too.
Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman
Penguin, £8.99
Sephy is a Cross, the beloved daughter of a rich and powerful family, while second-class citizen Callum is a mere Nought. They can never be together, for this a society divided in two. Sephy and Callum’s love story is a story of racism and prejudice, yes, but above all, it is about hope.
Coram Boy by Jamila Gavin
Egmont, £7.99
Otis takes babies from desperate mothers, promising to bring them to the Coram Foundling Hospital. But they never make it, until one, Aaron, is rescued by Otis’s son. Inspired by real historical events, Gavin’s book is occasionally upsetting but it’s always profoundly beautiful. There’s an epic sweep to this book that will leave teens moved and enthralled.
Northern Lights by Phillip Pullman
Scholastic, £8.99
Yes, it’s the first in a trilogy for confident older readers, but who would not want to be read the story of Lyra, the brave and bolshy Oxford ragamuffin who discovers something that will unlock the mysteries of the whole universe? The language is rich, the peril is genuine and alarming, and Lyra’s tale is surely one of the greatest of all time.
