Feed Me Books Friday: Changing the Bedtime Routine, Again

Make room!

My husband and I were marveling the other night at the 180 degree shift T has made in his attitude toward books. Where we once couldn’t pin him down long enough to get through a wordless board book, we now have to set a limit on stories before he pulls every title off the bookshelf (and not just for the fun of the mess). It gives me great joy to say T has become a book lover. I even had to have J bring half a dozen books from home for T’s recentstay at the hospital. We read them so many times I think I’ll have to hide them for the next couple of months just to give myself a break! With T’s growing interest in books, we’ve made an adjustment to the bedtime routine, namely, making room in B’s bed for T to listen to books, too. Now, each boy gets to choose a book for Daddy to read. T usually insists on positioning himself in the middle rather than letting J hold the book between the boys – which is odd – I guess he likes the cuddle factor as much as he enjoys the stories. 

Sibling Sweetness

The combination of my existing fondness for warm andfuzzy bedtime books and the glow I’m basking in thanks to T’s newfound love of reading led to a special affinity for Goodnight Me, Goodnight You, by TonyMitton. I stumbled upon this gem at the library, but I’ve already put it on my Amazon wishlist because I found the soothing text and vibrant but still mellow illustrations so pleasant that I’m sure we’ll need (and enjoy) repeated readings. The story, written in rhyming couplets, follows the bedtime routine of a sister and brother as they bid goodnight to their day, their surroundings, and the world. It concludes with the siblings telling one another goodnight and settling into bed. While T and B are certainly not going to put each other to bed, it is a treasured feeling to see them cuddling up together to foster literacy as well as emotional bonds.

Appropriate for toddlers, preschoolers, primary grades.