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Filed Under good people on February 24, 2010

I’ve never been someone who made up stories for my kids. I always kind of envied those moms, the ones who could string together a narrative that went on and on for days, about a dog or a prince or a space alien. That’s not to say that stories aren’t an important part of our bedtime ritual, just not stories I hatch in my own head. Wade reads with the boys before bed, every night (currently: Brian Jacques’ Redwall), and then after the boys are in bed, I snuggle in with each of them and talk about what they did today or what they’re doing tomorrow. After the tucking in is over, there’s more reading, under the covers, with their headlamps on. Geeks.

I love that last conversation with the boys, when they’re all showered and pajama-ed and tucked into their beds. Often, they want to show me what they’re reading, or tell me about their book, but some nights, they just want to talk. Those few minutes before sleep are often the window when they open up about the things that are on their minds. This week, we’ve talked about how to deal with the mean kid at school and where people go when they die.

You know, the easy things.

Death and bullies are tough things to discuss with your kids, especially at the end of a long day. In that moment, when the lights are out and we’re all warm and tired, I just want to protect my boys, but that’s the perfect time to remind them that being brave and kind and confident are important life skills.

Sometimes, it can help to tell them a story.

* * * * *

Last year, I worked with GoodNites on their Special Bedtime Moments campaign; this year, I’m getting to work with them again, to promote a new — and super cool — program they’re sponsoring. GoodNites has created Bedtime Theater, an ongoing story about a boy named Iggy and his Wiggy Bed; the stories follow Iggy as he learns to stand up for himself, make friends, and explore the world around him. The best part is that I got to write one installment of the Iggy story, along with some other super fantastic bloggers. Trust me — you totally want to read our masterpiece.

Feeling inspired yourself? Write your own Iggy story and enter to win $2,500. No I’m not kidding! Do it today.

In the meantime, I’m giving away this awesome bag of bedtime goodies, compliments of the nice people at GoodNites. What’s in the bag? An iPod shuffle, a pair of Logitech speakers, a $25 iTunes gift card, and a super soft cuddle blanket. And it all comes packed in a reusable Patagonia bag, so you can take it on the road with you, or send it to Nana’s for sleepovers.

How can you enter? Just leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite childhood bedtime story was. SO easy! Best part? The GoodNites people are providing three of these great kits for Friday Playdate readers, so enter early and often! First giveaway will be Friday.

And don’t forget to check out the Iggy stories. They’re a nice way to end the day with your little ones.

Disclaimer: I have partnered with GoodNites® for this series of posts and giveaways; I am being compensated for my participation in the Bedtime Theater program and for hosting these giveaways, not for promoting a product. Just so we’re all clear.

my favorite stories that my mom would tell me where the ones she told of her childhood. she had a pretty rough childhood, being the youngest of 8, and not so well-off. yet she persevered through it all. made a life for herself in the states & supported her family, who still lived in their homeland overseas.
thanks so much for the opportunity!

Cinderella was my favorite! My dad used to read it to me every night:)

I loved The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

mj.coward[at]gmail.com

The Monster at the End of this Book. I can’t remember who wrote it, but I loved all the things Grover did in there.

Wow. Before I leave a comment about bedtime stories, I have to point out that you posted this piece somewhere around 4am.

Holy insomnia, Batman!

We make up stories while driving in the car. Most of them are about robots and burps.

I like for my kids to end each day with a few words of gratitude, so at bedtime, we say a prayer of thanks. I love to hear what they’re thankful for.

Lately, it’s been “Lava and Bullets”.

My Dad would read every night to me and my sister. One of our favorite stories was “Good Night Moon.” I bet he read it hundreds of times. And now when I read the same book to my boys, I can hear my dad reading to me.

My favorite story was about this bunny and duck that became friends. I can’t remember the name of the book but i can still see the colorful cover and the picture of the egg on the front.

My favorite story was “The Little Engine that could”. I made my mom read it to me every night.

I LOVED “The Monster at the end of this book!”. My boys loved it too. Our copy is missing both covers, but still is read time and time again. Who can’t love Grover?! Who?

I used to love Bears in the Night when I was a kid. I have made up a few bedtime stories for my kids - the best was one about a kid who dove into a pool filled with chocolate cake. (I could really go for cake right now.)

I can’t remember my own childhood bedtime but I’m enjoying my grandson’s bedtime. We cuddle and read his favorite books, “Elmo Giggles” is his favorite this week, and he holds my finger and rubs my fingernail as he falls asleep. Sometimes just before he’s asleep, in the in between totally asleep and slightly awake, he turns to look at me and says “grammie?” just to make sure I’m still there.

I loved Where the Wild Things Are.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day: in my family we still refer to awful days as “Alexander days.” Reading this book is a nice way to end a tough day.

I loved Dr. Seuss books…any of them…to this day I can still recite “The B Book”…….

The Monster at the End of the Book.

My boys love Goodnight Gorilla and that is my favorite as a mama.

When my mom tucked me in at night, she would read books to me. My favorite stories were from the Little House on the Prairie book series. When my dad tucked me in, he would tell me stores about when he was younger. He grew up on a large farm and working cattle ranch in SW Oklahoma. My favorite stories were about his horse, Rip, and his faithful hunting dog, named Pat. Now, my dad tells his farm stories to my children, and I love listening along for the five hundredth time.

I always loved Madeline. The line from the movie You’ve Got Mail, “When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does” is completely true!

Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables were my favorite bedtime books!

Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

My mom always sang songs to me at bedtime. With my own kids, it was Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown when they were little. Now, we read chapter books together, each taking a turn to read a page.

Bedtime for Frances. I still love to read it to my own kids.

My husband’s favorite book as a child was “Mr. Shaw’s Shipshape Shoeshop,” so I found a copy on ebay and surprised him with it a few years ago. I fall in love with him a little more every time he reads it to our daughters.

My favorite was “Madeline”; I loved looking at the pictures of Paris and dreamed of visiting one day (which I’ve done now mulitple times). It is now my 5 year old daughter’s favorite. She now recites it back by memory and asks me when she can go to Paris.

Dr. Seuss - all of them. My mom made sure I had whatever books I wanted and we had tons of them, the best part is I am reading them to my boys now.

This Room is Mine! About two sisters who had to share a room. They fought a lot and put a jumprope down the middle to mark their turf. Man, I loved that book!

My favorite book was called “The Wednesday Witch” - I was able to find a used copy on Amazon and read it with my kids a couple of years ago. So fun!

One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish - Dr. Seuss!

“Curious George Flies a Kite”—my parents read it, bless them, even though it was LONG.

My favorites were Little House on the Prairie and when I got older, Nancy Drew. Thank you so much.

I don’t remember a specific bedtime routine when I was younger, but I loved to read; Nancy Drew was my all-time favorite.

One of my favorites when I was little was “A Baby Sister for Francis” because I wanted a baby sister, but by the time I finally got a baby sister when I was 11 I wasn’t really interested anymore (ha, ha)…my next favorite was “The Snowy Day.” I still have both of these books tucked away in my closet.

My favorite bedtime story was Brighty of the Grand Canyon. I loved the adventure of it, and would fall asleep imagining myself riding a burro down into the Canyon. I still hear the book in my dad’s voice when I think about it.

Corduroy has always been one of my favorites. And I also loved all the Redwall books.

So proud of you, Susan. My favorite was The Secret Garden.

Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel - how I loved Maryanne!

Socks for Supper! Such a good one!

My favorite was when my mom would read me poems from Shel Silverstein. To this day I’ll find myself quoting them from memory.

I loved books as a kid (and adult!) — too many to recount here, but always piled on my bed and spilling on the floor when I moved around in my sleep. But my favorite stories were ones my Grandmother would tell me about her childhood and my mom’s childhood.

I didn’t grow up in a reading family, so my favorite story was whatever library book I had that week, reading to myself until the book slipped out of my hand. And I turned out to be a librarian, go figure!

Any book. I love to ready and so does my girl.

Where Did the Baby Go? It was a Little Golden Book and it’s my first memory of being really impressed by a book. A little girl finds some mysterious pictures of a baby . . . surprise ending — the baby in the photos was the little girl main character! It was a toddler mystery! Loved it!

Little House on the Prairie. We read one chapter a night until we read through them all.

“A Kiss for Little Bear”. Loved it.

Harry the Dirty Dog!!!

Favorite childhood bedtime story is the running tale of Binky Mouse and his various adventures, as imagined by my dad. He managed to keep the stories going through 4 kids, and all of us still remember bits and pieces today (some 25 years later).

What a great prize!
My dad does a great “Yertle the Turtle” rendition with some fun voices that I still love hearing to this day (when he’s reading to my boys!).

We read so many books but Winnie the Pooh was an all time fav!

My favorite was Little House on the Prarie. I would always sneak under the covers with a flashlight to read too. My kids however. especially my daughter love to hear silly stories about my first real jobs scooping ice cream at the Dairy Queen or the fry girl at McDonalds. She always gets a pretty good giggle out of those tales and always asks for more. Who knew my life would be so amusing to a 9 year old.

Every night, my dad made up Pat and Mike stories. I don’t know he came up with a new and crazy story every time.

Once, when I was about 8, we were spending the night at my grandmother’s and some cousins were sleeping in the same room with us and my uncle (their dad) came in and started telling a Pat and Mike story! That’s when we realized that my grandmother had told them too. And the tradition got passed on to 32 grandchildren and now, I don’t even know how many great-grandchildren.

I loved the Babar stories and Little House On The Prairie. Now I read Goodnight Gorilla and the Pigeon books by Mo Willems to my children. Children giggling is such a great way to end the evening.

goodnight moon

Every night my almost three year-old daughter requests her Richard Scarry story book and we dig through the pages to find one (or more!) stories… She loves the book so much I’ll even find her “reading” to herself throughout the day. Ahh… Richard Scarry.

“In an old house in Paris/ That was covered with vines/ Lived twelve little girls/ In two straight lines…”

Loved (and still love) Madeline

We read a lot of bible stories before bed and i loved them all. still do.

The ones that stand out the most were when my dad and I read Madeleine L’Engle books (2nd and 3rd grade maybe?) - we would take turns reading out loud, and my favorite nights were my dad’s outloud nights, when I could close my eyes and imagine the story unfolding.

My fave was The Wishing Chair by Enid Blyton!!

My son’s favorite was I Wish That I Had Duck Feet, he is almost 14 and I am sure I can still recite the book without even looking!

I loved Madeline and still love to read it to my little girl. It is now her favorite.

My father had two books of bedtime stories- they were all dated, so you had a little piece of a story every night for the whole year. Some were only one night long, some were seven nights. I have such amazing memories of my dad reading me those stories- and I have the books now, so I will be able to read them to my son!

The Care Bear Books. They were my favorite. I think I even have them stashed somewhere. I was huge into Care Bears. Such a girl I was!

My brother and I would beg my Mom to “tell” us Goldilocks and the Three Bears. She didn’t use a book, but she would act out the story with voices and hand gestures. My brother and I LOVED it!

I do the same story for my kids with the same voices and motions too and they love it as much as we did!

My grandmother used to tell me Juan Bobo stories…traditional folk tales. As a mom I bough a book of them for my boys, they love them too, and for me it honors the memory of my beloved grandmother.

My daughter learned to read by “reading” The Very Hungry Caterpillar to us after we had read it to her. She was brilliant!

I loved these little books about the adventures of “Ant & Bee”. My parents HATED when I picked those to read!

i love books. always have. my mom(also a lover of books)would read to my siblings and i often. there are far too many to name them all but a few that i remember off the top of my head are the boxcar children, a wrinkle in time, james and the giant peach, so many more. i hope by reading often to my three little ones, this love carries on.

I read Goodnigh Moon every night until each of my children was just over two years old. Loved that book.

We then graduated to series, The Little House books, Narnia books, Anne of Green Gables…I miss reading to my kids every night!

When I was really young I read a Golden Book called Red Buckle Shoes, I think. I can still quote form it! Once I was in grade school, thoguh, I’d read anything and everything at bedtime. I often can’t fall asleep without reading first!

I don’t remember a specific story from my own childhood but I love to read Love You Forever by Robert Munsch to my own kids…it makes me cry every time! They’ll be my babies even when they’re old!

I enjoyed the Babysitter’s Club books very much!

My favorite was Little Bear and I recently absconded with the vintage copy from my grandmother’s house so I can read it to my kids. Such a classic.

By the time I was old enough to remember, my parents were reading chapter books to my brother and I. I remember an original copy of Heidi, but my favorites were by far the Madeline L’Engle Wrinkle in Time series. I think they read to us until I was close to 12.

My dad wasn’t home much when when I was little enough to really enjoy bedtime stories, but when he was home, he would always read me Thumbelina. Since then, I’ve always loved that book and it was the one I would check out from the library most often.

Where the Wild Things Are

Dr. Seuss books (pretty much any of them)

Then when I was reading on my own, I loved the choose your own adventure books, Little Women, Babysitter’s Club books and Judy Blume books.

I used to love Cat in the Hat. I know, I’m boring, but I loved the drawings! The details and the motion he created on the pages…loved it!

My Dad made up a story about two trolls named Irg and Myrgford Tward (never had to spell that before)…for about a year my brother and I drove my Dad crazy to tell us more about their adventures…which often resulted in them getting caught doing things they shouldn’t be…hmmm…might have missed the message…then I started reading voraciously myself and we left them behind. I miss them!

I was OBSESSED with the Nancy Drew Files! Not a headlamp here, though - just a penlight from the doctor’s office.

Little Women is the story that I remember hearing the most when I was little.

I oved Clifford the Big Red Dog (or since I’m an East Coaster, it was Clifford the Big Red Dawg! My daughter and I are currently in love with Llama Llama Red Pajama. Bedtime is the best time!

My dad read Wind in the Willows to my brothers and I when we were little. Every time we finished a chapter we were able to go and pick out a new statue of a character for the garden. Bed time was never a fight because we all LOVED that story!

Hands down, my favorite stories were the ones my Dad told me about when he was little. He had some pretty crazy stories, and I loved laying in my bed in the dark, listening to his wonderful voice. Pulling a story out of him was a serious coup. My favorite one was about his blind chicken farm. Seriously. A blind chicken farm.

the just-so stories read by my grandma. my favorite was the one where the hippo took off his skin and ate a cake, and then there were crumbs in his skin when he put it back on. then he was so itchy, when he itched it he got wrinkly skin!

Still in love with Goodnight Moon - such a great story with interesting illustrations. Also loved Where the Wild Things Are - surprised I never had nightmares from that one! Great giveaway by the way!

My favorite bedtime story was Make Way for Ducklings. Loved it then, love it now

My favorite was Goodnight Moon.

Um, I don’t really have a favorite story because my mom insisted on telling me bible stories. My least favorite: the one where the boys go in the giant furnace & the one where they are going to cut the baby in half. And my mom wondered why I didn’t sleep well…

Little House in the Big Woods

I loved when my mom would read the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle stories to me. I also loved The Borrowers.

I can’t remember my favorite bedtime story from when I was little though I do know that I loved all Raggedy Ann and Andy Stories. I had a set of little booklets made by Hallmark shaped in the outline of each character. Belinda’s was about making chocolate chip cookies. Yum! My favorite story to read to my girls still is Good Night Moon.

Then: The Little Old Man Who Couldn’t Read, Bembleman’s Bakery, Babar, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Bullfrog Builds a House, The Goat in the Rug, Little House, Madeline L’Engle and many more.

Now reading with my four: Time for Bed, Gossie and Gertie, Stella and Sam books, Kiss Goodnight, The Bear Snores On, Magic Tree House series, Olivia books, Fancy Nancy books, Chester’s Way and other Kevin Henkes books, The Bee Tree…

My sister and I shared a room and we’d stay up late giggling in the dark. Our mom would constantly tell us to be quiet and go to sleep - so we’d talk softer for awhile but eventually get louder again….which made us laugh even more!

My favorite stories were ones my parents would tell me together. They would create the craziest stories ever. It is a tradition that my husband and I try to keep up with our own boys.

My dad only had one story in his repertoire - the Boy Who Cried Wolf. I think the underlying message was “stop with the whining”.

my favorite stories were either grimm’s fairy tales or the little house on the prairie books. STILL GREAT!

Being from a large family, my oldest sister typically read a bedtime story to me. I loved the stories that she would make up, the best! In these stories, there would always be a little girl, who had her fondest wishes follow through if she only….you guessed it, listened to her big sister! Looking back, it was the beginning of how I looked up to my sister for her very wise ways!

I remember wanting to be Anne of Green Gables, especially in the later books in the series.

Hey! I loved the Bearstein Bears Series. My favorite was the “Don’t Talk to Strangers” That book taught me a lot.

Paddington Bear, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Little House on the Prairie to name a few. My son loves Max & Ruby, Clifford, Bearenstein Bears and Curious George.

My mother was not much of a story teller, but she read to my sister and I for an hour every night before bed. Even though I wasn’t raised Jewish, I was OBSESSED with the book series “All of A Kind Family.” If I remember correctly, they were an orthodox Jewish family with like 9 daughters. And then they had a boy. The end.

My favorite bedtime story was (and still is) Peter Pan. I had a wee crush on Peter and often opened my window a crack before falling asleep (after spreading my hair, comingly, across my pillow).

I’m now reading “Peter and the Starcatchers,” a prequel to the Peter Pan story, with my 10 YO son. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Thanks for the great giveaway, Susan! Off to read about Iggy.

‘Twas The Night Before Christmas was my most favorite. I have vivid memories of my siblings and I sitting with my dad by the Christmas tree and him “doing all of the voices.”. Very cliche… But true!

The Monster at the End of this Book!

My favorite stories were about my mom and dad - their childhoods in Puerto Rico and about how they met. Thanks for the great giveaway!

How can it not be GoodNite Moon? Ahhhh I love that book.

Where the Wild Things Are and Corduroy. Two very different books I know but, what can I say? They were my favorites!

I just remembered another story my son always love to hear when I turn out the lights and say good night. You see you can’t kiss 11 year old boys…..unless you sneak up behind them and sneak attack…..so anyway…..my very manly 11 year old likes to hear funny stories about pets that I used to have. One of his favorites is a story about how a pet goat I once had ran into the new neighbors house the day the moving men were moving all their things in. I was 10 at the time and thought it was a great way to meet the new neighbors. The new neighbors didn’t think so.

My daughters always favorite is Bread and Jam for Francis.

I loved the Pippy Longstocking series. My mom would read us a chapter every night!

Mine was always my daddy retelling me about his days chasing bad guys, he is a cop so there was truth mixed in with his fiction.

I was such a girly-girl: Any story (made-up or otherwise) with a damsel in distress was popular. But the best stories were the ones I made up in my head in those moments after the lights went out and before I feel asleep.

This is so cool. I love “There is no such thing as a dragon” and the “Giving Tree”

so “enter early and often” means I can enter more than once, right?

I loved The Monster at the end of this book! The anticipation was great!

My uncle made me a storybook. It was all about his dogs Spike and Shortie and I loved it.

And, yes, I still have it.

I don’t remember any specific stories, but I was a “girly-girl” so probably Cinderella or Snow White.

When I was little (early 1970s), my parents let our babysitter and neighbor, Dawn, live with us so she could finish her senior year of high school. Every night she would come to my room and sing “The House on Pooh Corner” by Kenny Loggins while I fell asleep. Even though it was only for a few months, and I’m quite sure my parents read me hundreds of books, the memory of her singing that song has always stayed with me.

My favourite was Sleepy Squirrel by Amye Rosenberg. My dad still teases me about it. And I’ve lived in another country for half a decade and out of his house for twice that.

I look forward to reading it to my own children when they (hopefully) arrive in the next few years!

Ramona the Pest. Now, with my boys nightly book ritual, one of my favorites is ‘The Moon Shines Down’.

Being a 53 years young Mom with 12 y/o triplets, my memories of bedtime stories being read to me are a little fuzzy until I forced my brain cells to regroup and remember how my mother read Stuart Little and Charlote’s Web to me. I became a voracious reader - Little House series, all the Nancy Drew Mysteries come to mind. And luckily, I’ve instilled that passion to read in my children as well.

My parents made up a whole series of stories about two little mice. My favorite was when one of the mice got stuck in a pumpkin he was carving. Very dramatic.

One of my favorite memories of bedtime stories was my mother reading me A Wrinkle in Time. At that point I was old enough to read the book myself but I loved hearing my mother reading to me and as the oldest of five I loved feeling like one of the younger kids for just a little while at night. It was a great way to end the day and I still love to read every night before I fall asleep.

Those great stories about my Mom as a kid. I guess it’s hard to imagine your mom as a kid when you are a kid.

My favorite bedtime stories were the ones my dad would tell about growing up on a farm. His childhood was not an easy one, but I could not get enough of his stories about it!

the little princess and little house books…

brief,but i’m rocking a feverish babe nd don’t have 2 hands.

WHere the wild things are…

Just linked over from Notes from the Trenches - you sound like a good friend to have!

Favorite bedtime story - anything that rhymes - Dr. Suess - Madeline - Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

My favorite was any classic fairy tale with a princess. Or a story about a horse. I was a girly girl.

Now I like to read Where the Wild Things Are on the wild days for my big girls and The Going to Bed Book for my baby.

the very hungry caterpillar and winnie the pooh! Go, Dog, Go was another favorite.

I am a grandma now myself, and have no particular memories of bedtime stories from my childhood. My best night time memories are from those nights I spent with my grandparents, cuddled up with my mamaw in her flannel gown, long braid uncurled from it’s daytime bun. What talks we had!

My favorite story was The Monster At The End Of This Book. It is a Sesame St. story and I read it to my 3 year old son now.

The Little Engine that Could….”I think I can. I think I can….”

Oh, my ABSOLUTE favorite from my very young childhood was “Where The Wild Things Are”. As I got older, the “Anne of Green Gables” series and also “Little House on the Prairie” series! These books are still some of my very favorites! When I read them to my own littles, I just love that these books will shape their imaginations and sense of adventure, just like they did for me!!

It was so much fun to read each person’s favorite story. My father told stories about Jimby, Lisa, and their magic swan - their adventures took place in countries all around the globe, where my mother and father had been before I was born. My favorite books have been passed on to my daughter, who’s devoured Laura Engalls Wilder, L’Engle, and many more. Your boys might want to check out that Peter Pan prequel mentioned earlier - it’s by Dave Barry and she says it’s phenominal….

While I remember loving Amelia Bedelia, my 1 year old’s favorites are definitely “Good Morning, Good Night” and “Ten Little Ladybugs.” I can recite them by heart…”Good morning, little kitten, what will you do today?”

My favorite memories are of tucking my kids in, and they still happen almost every night. Each child has a ritual, and it includes lots of hugs and kisses and loving gestures, and it makes my heart melt every night.

I loved all kinds of books, but I think some of my favorites were the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. My kids are currently big fans of the Amelia Bedilia books and the Henry and Mudge books.

I always loved just random poems from Shel Silverstein, now my kids love them too! Sick is my Addison’s favorite! ; )

I used to love “never tease a weasel”. In fact, I found the old book we used to read and brought it home from my parents’ house so that I could read it to my kids.

Wow - what a neat program and wonderful giveaway, thank you! My favorite stories were always Winnie the Pooh…I really related to Pooh. He is so simple, and content and his friends are so fun! My daughter loves those stories now

Thanks again for the great opportunity!

Charlotte’s Web is my favorite and my son’s favorite also!

My parents read to me every single night, usually with choruses of “just one page” even when i was falling asleep in the book. Some favorites include “the monster at the end of this book”, “robert the rose horse”, “go dog go”, and “pat the bunny”. We went through 2 copies between my brother and I.

I have so many! I loved Goodnight Moon as a little one, and the Boxcar children read aloud when I was older. Reading was such a huge part of my bedtime routine as a child, and it in my daughter’s life as well!

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Good Night Moon is my favorite story to read to my little girl. My favorite bedtime stories were the Amelia Bedilia books! She was a NUT!

I an a big reader so choosing a favorite book is like choosing between my children. I really loved the Really Rosie Stories (especially Chicken Soup with Rice) and the Lorax. But I also loved series like Little House, All of a kind Family, Encyclopedia Brown and Miss Piggle Wiggle..see what I mean?

The Sleep Book. By Dr. Seuss. It makes me yawn just thinking about it.

But my favorite ones to read aloud now are all Sandra Boynton: Pajama Time, the Going to Bed Book, and But Not the Hippopotamus.

So can we enter again since the first drawing has occurred. You say to enter often….just don’t want to break the rules!

As a mama who loves to read with her boys I frequent the library often and let them check out piles of books at one time. Reading new and different books makes reading at night more fun for me and the boys!

My favorite was “The Pokey Littly Puppy”. My boys love “Guess How Much I Love You”.

I loved Nurse Nancy as a child. I remember begging my mom to read it to me, despite the fact that I could easily read it myself.

the lorax is always a favorite!

Our current favorite book to read is ….anything David Shannon.

So my son TOTALLY loves the Can You See What I See? series. The funny poems make him laugh and it can be really hard to find all the items (even with two adults helping him!).

We read tons of different books at bedtime, but one of my favorites were the Boxcar Children series. We’d read a chapter or two a night, and those boxes would last forever. The Brownie Scout Mystery was another big favorite, as well as the Little House series.

We read to our son and daughter every night now. They are too young for my favorites yet, but we have discovered Good Night Moon, Have You Seen My Cat, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, as well as If you Give a Mouse A Cookie, and Is Your Mama A Llama. Reading and snuggling at the end of the night is one of my favorite times of day - I wish I wasn’t often so tired when it comes to this time.

I loved (love) anything by Roald Dahl. Matilda and The BFG stand out. I can’t wait to start reading them to my kids!

Favorite bedtime story: Three Little Bears

My favorite published bedtime story really isn’t a bedtime story, but a lovely book with fabulous illustrations: Each Peach Pear Plum.

But my personal favorites are “Daddy Stories”. When I was a little girl my dad would tuck me in and I’d beg for a Daddy story. While I don’t remember specific stories I remember that they were always silly and I was always the star of the adventure!

Thanks, Susan!

Another childhood favorite - The Five Little Peppers and how they grew

I also love The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew as well as the entire Little House series.

Sweet Pickles - Me Too Iguana

There was a whole line of Sweet Pickles books about animals living in this cute little town. I used to love Me Too Iguana which was about an Iguana who wanted to have everything everybody else had until her friends taught her that she was great just the way she was.

Growing up….can’t remember a favorite one that was read to me :(… My husbands was I Was So Mad , of Little Critter Fame , and my favorite to read to my son is Little Gorilla..

A book called Brown Puppy and the Falling Star. I read it to my little brother every night.

“Its Time to Sleep”, “The Big Red Barn” and “Good Night Moon” have been read so many times to my kids through the years, I’m surprised I haven’t memorized them!

“Are you my mother?” seems to be the hit at our house right now.

Congrats to the Goodnight Moon winner. I miss that book. I can only hope it will make a comeback.

I love Goodnight Moon also. Chicka-Chicka-Boom-Boom is also an often requested title. It’s my 2 year old’s favorite book of the moment.

Just Go To Bed by Mercer Mayer was a favorite when my kids were really little. And when they were a little older Earl’s Too Cool For Me by Leah Komaiko was a favorite. Now the Winds of Light series by Sigmund Brouwer is the favorite.

Where the Wild Things Are has got to be the top of the list. But I love so many books, it is hard to pick one!

Favorite story at bed time was Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business

It was Curious George Rides a Bike. My mother must have been really sick of that book.

I loved Richard Scarry and all the pictures and descriptions. So much to look at! When I got bigger I LOVED, so LOVED any Beverly Cleary book. That Ramona! She was the BEST. So naughty, but so fun.

Gosh so many, but I think my favorite was Corduroy. I loved the little girl and how she just adored Corduroy. Children’s literature is the best!

Velveteen Rabbit. I read the book over and over so many times I think I made it “real,” too.

“Kiss Goodnight” was a favorite in our house. When my brother was little he would act like Sam and always ask for more kisses before bedtime. “Again!” he’d cry out and hold his arms open. Melted the whole family…

I loved reading Duck is Dirty to my daughter. No idea why we all thought it was so funny, but it was. My daughter Abbie just entered the contest.

My favorite as a child was “Pokey Little Puppy.” I could totally relate!

My favorite was anything by Dr. Seuss. My Dad was a very good storyteller.

Now that my son is older he will read me a little Harry Potter sometimes while I get ready for bed. Than I tuck him in.

My dad used to read us Dr. DeSoto - the dentist mouse - over and over again. I might love hearing him read it to my daughter even more.

Where the wild things are. We love to cuddle up and read that before bedtime. Whe we get to the wild rumpus we all start to howl until the dogs join in.

As a girl, I loved “Ann likes red”. I could read it a hundred times a day, even though it is a very simple story.

My parents didn’t read to any of their 5 daughters as we grew up.

One of my favorite books since I had my first daughter is “Goodnite Moon”. We have it in an extra large book and a smaller travel book.

When I was a little kid my father would read me the “Mr. Men” books and some little “Bugg” books that are the same size. We just got them out of the attic for my son a few weeks ago and have added them to his library and he loves them.

Corduory, The Red Balloon, and Bed and Jam for Frances were some of my favorites. My parents still have some of the same books to read to my kids when they visit.

anything by dr. suess — but oh how i loved the star-bellied sneetches.

My parents always read to us before bed and my favorite stories came out of our Bedtime Bible Stories book.

I totally forgot about The Five Little Peppers and how they grew….I loved that book as a child, too!

My favorite childrens book, hands down, is The Ox Cart Man. I love the rhythm of the lines and the story of the seasons. My son’s favorite stories are those that we tell him about “a little boy named Thomas,” which just happens to be his name. We just re-tell stories about his life — and he completely loves it.

My favorite bedtime story actually came from a Sesame Street Book called “There’s a Monster at the End of this Book”. It has Grover completely terrified that there is a monster at the end of the book and on each page he tries to prevent you from turning the next page….only to find out that HE is the monster at the end of the book. My Mom read it to me, my step-mom read it to me and I read it to myself so many times the paper is worn down in areas.

[…] — I’m giving away one more gift pack on Monday, March 8; to enter, leave a comment on the original giveaway post by midnight Sunday night. And don’t forget that the GoodNites people are giving $2500 for the […]

anything by shel silverstein…the giving tree, the missing piece, where the sidewalk ends. our current favorite…don’t bump the glump!

What a great giveaway!

My favorite bedtime stories were probably any of the Little Golden books!

The Little Bear books were favorites of me and my sisters. And I always loved Shel Silverstein. I still have “Where the Sidewalk Ends” on my bookshelf. Speaking of - I think I’ll crack it open tonight and read a poem or two. Shel Silverstein made poetry cool!

count me in! My all time favorite book when I was a preschool teacher was “Hooray for Wodney Wat” it’s a great story about the little guy using his embarrassing lisp to triumph against the mean bully.

I loved all books and remember reading myself more than I remember having family read to me. My favorite book as a child was Marshmallow, about a white rabbit who joined a household with a cat.

When my son was 2 he loved Cars and Trucks and Things that Go by Richard Scary…he knew where every Go Bug was on each page.

Harold and the purple crayon left me and my imagination to create a whole world as I fell asleep.

Lexi loves to read. We read to her a lot and when she goes in her room she heads directly to the book shelf picks up books and starts saying “ahhhhhhhi ahhhhhhhi iiiiiiiiiirrrrrrr aaaaaala” and that must be what she hears from me. That incidentally would be better then what I’m actually reading sometimes.

I love the Jessie Bear books that I read to my kids when they were littler. So cute. But as a kid I loved fairy tales. We had a big book full of them and I would flip through the pages imagining the story (when one was not being read to me).

I love to read and read alot as a child, but we made up stories every night when we went to bed, what a hoot some of them were. thanks for the contest.

I always have loved to read, so much in fact that I still have to keep some of my books down at my parents house still. that is mainly to make room for all the books I have for my 3 yr old daughter and now her 5 month brother. it is wonderful to already see the transition from being read 1 book at bedtime, to her paraphrasing and telling versions of her own story on car rides, or to see her going to her shelves and browsing through to choose one to bring to me. I also love that my parents (also bookworms) saved all my childhood books in immaculate condition. I was born in London and we moved here 9 years ago, the attic full of my belongings was shipped here lovingly.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric Carle. So soothing.

My favorite book or books were the ‘Old Bear’ books by Jane Hissey. I think they’re out of print now, but they had the most beautiful colored pencil illustrations and quirky fun stories.

Every time I’m in a used bookstore I have my eye out for her books and I buy them up when I find them. It paid off this year when I could give them to my new niece!

Oh oh oh - I loved the Five Little Peppers! (I know, they’re ancient, but I was a precocious reader…)

Right now the current favorites in our house are the Little House series and the Harry Potter series.

My older sister and I shared a room as kids, and she was so patient with me - I would talk and talk at night, and she would do her best to keep responding, but the best part was that she never told me to shut up! She would just listen until she fell asleep, and I would just talk until I was done and fall asleep. She remembers loving falling asleep to the sound of my voice, and I realized years later (after various boyfriends and roommates and camping trips) just how nice it was to be able to work through my day out loud without anyone telling me to be quiet. Not exactly a succinct bedtime story, but my best bedtime memory. On the rare occasion I had little to say, I could always talk her into telling me a story too.

I remember my father reading me Heidi and Black Beauty when I was young. I loved listening to his voice and the tale unfolding.

Love the Little House on the Prarie books! My kids loved Goodnight Moon, Madeleine, and The Foot Book when they were little.

I was an avid reader so it’s hard to choose, but I loved the Mercer Mayer “critter” books and also “Phoebe’s Revolt” by Natalie Babbitt.

We didn’t have stories as much as songs. My dad would sing to us each night. And I can remember his voice when he would read Alice in Wonderland.

My favorite stories were the ones my Mom would tell from her childhood about when she was little. So I always try to tell my kids stories from when I was little.

My favorite stories from childhood were Make Way for Ducklings and the original Little Bear books.

I had a book called Pookie Puts the World Right, which my mum found the other day so I could read it to the children.

I don’t remember it being so bossy when I was a child. The hero turns out to be a real know-it-all.

I love reading with my boys!!!

I’m one of those people with a really poor memory. I can’t remember most of the things from my childhood. But I will never forget sitting up at night with my Dad while he read the Narnia books to us, and D’Aulaire’s Greek Mythology.

My favorite childhood story was The Fox and The Hound. I had memorized the book and was able to “read” it to myself and to anyone willing to listen. Still my favorite to this day!

My son LOVES a Wall-E book that he got for Christmas. We read it to him a few times and then he read it himself! Not memorized, actually read it. He has read it to his sister several times and decided to take it to school a couple days ago and then he read it to his class! Reading, at bed time or any time, is so important.

My all time favorite stories as a kid who could read to myself were the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

The book I most remember receiving and loving as a young child was Kiana’s Iditarod by Shelly Gill & Shannon Carhtright. I still have the well worn cover from that book in a picture frame hanging in my four year old daughter’s bedroom. It is fitting, as I named her Kiana.

She is one of those read to me all day kids who, at four is now starting to “read” to herself, her stuffed animals, and most espicially our dog. The bookishness runs deep in our life and although I tire of reading over and over and over the small mountain of books she will select for a single sitting - it is the time when I feel most connected to her and when she will still snuggle up in my lap and I love it, endlessly.

Whoo boy, I’d love to win!! My girls love stories and cuddles before bed. They are the read and read and read and read until the adult’s voice is tired kind of kids, and I’m so glad!

My boys love to read before bed — my favorite part of the day, too.

growing up I loved a book called “Anne wears Red” but the book I loved reading to my kids when they were little was “The Napping House”

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