10 Minutes Till Bedtime by Peggy Rathmann. Putnam. Busloads of vacationing hamsters arrive at the front door just 10 minutes before a young boy’s bedtime. Mayhem and mirth abound as bedtime turns into a traffic jam.

Can’t You Sleep, Little Bear? By Martin Waddell, illustrated by Barbara Firth. Candlewick. Big Bear brings light and love to frightened Little Bear, who soon falls asleep in this warm and reassuring bedtime delight.

Cowboy Dreams by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by Barry Root. HarperCollins. A lyrical and gentle story to lull young buckaroos to sleep.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd. HarperCollins. Children have been going to bed with this one since 1947. The gentle repetition and incantation of naming familiar things and saying good night to them helps children separate and relax.

How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mark Teague. Blue Sky/Scholastic. Does an Allosaurus sulk? Does a Tricerotops roar? No, they give a hug and kiss and say good night. The illustrations are filled with humorous details as these huge creatures and their human parents display universal bedtime behaviors.

Just Like You by Jan Fearnley. Candlewick. As Mama and Little Mouse wend their way home at sunset, they notice other animal parents settling their babies down for the night. In a gentle refrain, Mama Mouse assures Little Mouse that all the baby animals are special to their parents—just like you. And Little Mouse whispers a special good-night reassurance of his own.

Moonride by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Seymour Chwast. Houghton. If the moon wakes you up in the middle night and offers you a ride, say yes. You might just go on a magical journey around the sleeping city—see a night baseball game, listen to jazzy music or watch firefighters in action—even see the morning's newspaper headlines. An imaginative and whimsical bedtime adventure, gloriously illustrated with expressive pastels.

Sleepytime Rhyme by Remy Charlip. Greenwillow. A mother cuddles her baby and chants all the things she loves in a soothing rhyme-I love your hands/your teeth, your nose/your ankles, feet/ and all ten toes.

Snuggle Wuggle by Jonathan London, illustrated by Michael Rex. Silver Whistle/Harcourt. Who wants a hug? A mother playfully quizzes her toddler on how different baby animals hug—bunnies snuggle wuggle, chicks fluffy duffy and puppies fuzzy nuzzle. This bedtime charmer will lead to lots of cuddling and plenty of hugs.

There’s A Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer. Dial. A bedtime classic in which a young boy meets the monster in his closet and befriends it.