Five of the best bedtime books for three year olds

One of the things I miss about bedtime for my eight year olds is not reading to them. The Small Boy still has bedtime stories though, usually Mr P reads them but sometimes I do.

Often it’s lovely, sometimes, depending on how much in need of wine I am, it’s not so lovely. But what remains great is the amazing choice of books there are for little ones.

Here are a section of our current favourites

1.) Oi Frog! by Kes Gray and Jim Field

This is a newish picture book, first published in 2014. ‘A hilarious rhyming tale about a frog who discovers that all animals have their special places to sit’.

We have two favourite lines in our house where we discover that…

“Gophers sit on… sofas” and “Pumas sit on…satsumas”

2.) What the Ladybird Heard by Julia Donaldson and Illustrated by Lydia Monks

The Guardian calls this a ‘terrific and witty adventure’. The Small Boy loves making the sound of all the animal noises and we enjoy Julia Donaldson’s effortlessly clever rhyming lilts.

3.) Giant Jam Sandwich by John Vernon Lord and Janet Burroway

This is a classic, first published in 1972. A whimsical tale of the folks from ‘Itching Down’ who have been invaded by a swarm of wasps. The only way to get rid of them is to lure them into a giant jam sandwich. The Small Boy loves to see the bread being baked ‘fifty cookers in an old brick mill’.

4.) The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

This is one of our all-time favourite Donaldson/Scheffler books, it’s been well loved and our edition has been on all our holidays with us. A great aeroplane staple, for it’s detail and length and tales of adventure of golden sands in far away lands.

5.) Goodnight Tractor by Michelle Robinson and Nick East

The Goodnight series was new to us having a boy after two girls, they seem to be more ‘boy toy’ themed, although the Small Boy enjoys a princess story as much as the next, so I’m sure it would work the other way around too. I love this book, it’s reads so softly and ‘goodnight’ is repeated so many times I’m almost snoozing off myself by the end of it.

Do you have any of these books? Which others are favourites in your house?