Bedtime Bangers, Vol. 2

Books we've loved recently, tested in the trenches, er, preschool classroom.

I don’t have tons of public speaking experience, but I can tell you how it feels to have a dozen preschoolers about to launch into a chorus of funny clicking noises or melt into wiggly worm mode if you don’t capture their imagination—and fast. This fall I began reading to my son’s class once a week, and that first afternoon, I sweated through my shirt. The internet tells me the average attention span of a 4-year-old should be around eight to 12 minutes. But on a Friday after a long week, a couple of boring pages is all it takes to lose them.

I began noting which books kept their attention well and which ones quickly lost it, and have made it my weekly mission to find at least a couple of new bangers from the library. There are so many gorgeous slow reads out there, and I try to save those for long, sleepy bedtimes at home. (Bear By Himself by Geoffrey Hayes is one of our faves.) But plot and tension are paramount when it comes to preschool entertainment, and I’ve found the following themes to be particularly successful: lost mothers, jump scares, tigers and looking urgently for a new home.

Here are a few that kept the eyeballs on me and attention (mostly) engaged.

Are You My Mother?
By P.D. Eastman

A baby bird hatches in an otherwise empty nest and goes hunting to find his mom among a wide variety of characters. My audience was rapt. (I grew up listening to the audiobook cassette of this with my sister, and relish imitating the voices and effects I remember from it.)

Bear Snores On
Written by Karma Wilson, Illustrated by Jane Chapman

Cozy for winter and with a fun-to-read-aloud sneeze as the climax (leaning into the over-acted bodily functions over here) this is a charming story I don’t mind reading over and over.

There’s a Tiger in the Garden
By Lizzy Stewart

A bored little girl is urged by her grandma to go play out in the yard—and makes surprising discoveries. One bonus point for encouraging imagination, second bonus point for the fun plot twist on the last page.

The Hare Who Wouldn’t Share
By Steve Small

For a book that’s essentially about sharing, I was surprised how many times this was requested while we had it checked out—and how long it held the kids’ attention at school. I do ad-lib some aggressive “snuffling” noises for drama when the big, bad boar sticks his nose in the rabbit’s hole trying to steal their carrots. (The grumpy hare also gets style points for his sweet a moka pot setup.)

Little Tigers
By Jo Weaver
This was initially a random grab on my part (see: tigers)—and I lucked out because it about a tiger family trying to find a new home by bedtime. There’s urgency to the plot and tricky wildlife encounters, plus not much extraneous copy. (There’s definitely a words-per-page sweet spot for this age group!)

Dog Loves Drawing
By Louise Yates

The whole group exclaimed when I pulled this book out—it was one they had there in the classroom. The teacher seemed pleased to not have to read it herself, saying they ask her to read it over and over. Basically, a cute new spin on the Harold and the Purple Crayon theme—but starring a dog and with a monster jump scare in the middle. (See: jump scares.)

Julian is a Mermaid
By Jessica Love

I didn’t actually read this one to the class—it’s very image-heavy and light on the words, which makes it better for one-on-one bedtimes than large-group read-alouds (see: ideal word-per-page ratio). But “Frozen” mania has taken hold around these parts, and a sudden need for skirts and dresses has seized the youngest member of our household. So the story of young Julián obsessing over—and imitating—the beautiful mermaids of Coney Island Mermaid Parade felt timely, creative and heart-warming and I personally delighted in the gorgeous illustrations.

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Note: The book in the top photo is Richard Scarry’s Best Storybook Ever, which I love for its sweetness and forgive for its antiquated traditional gender rolls. “Chipmunk’s Birthday” and “Goodnight Little Bear” just make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. And it’s HUGE. Like, textbook huge.