5 bedtime stories for children to dream

Here we are: your child is well installed in his/her bed with his/her teddy bear (maybe even a Toudou Night&Day ;-))? He or she is waiting for his/her evening story with falling asleep. What are you going to read to tonight?

Here is a little selection of tales to read before going to bed to get ready for wonderful dreams. I wanted to offer you some of my favorites and beautiful original stories. The books are ordered according to the age of the child, from 2 to 9-10 years old. You will also find, at the very end, the interview of the author of The Lizard King’s Kingdom, my latest favorite. Enjoy reading!

Le livre de la nuit/ Das Wimmelbuch der Nacht

Rotraut Susanne Berner; Eds. Gerstenberg, 2+.

Don’t worry, the title may be in French or in German, but actually the book contains no text, only illustrations.

Back cover

It’s night time in the small town of Wimmlingen. People and animals sleep peacefully – at least some of them do. Others go for a walk and experience exciting adventures: the night of reading in the library, a chase after thieves, or a party in the park. Rotraut Susanne Berner tells us everything that happens on a mild summer night.

Why I love this book

This book completes the very famous series of books on the seasons by the same author. My daughter has had these books for almost 5 years. And they evolve with her. In the beginning, we looked at them for words and to learn about the seasons and the time going by. As she grew up, we made up the text and a whole story for the characters and follow them around the pages. The “Night Book” can have something reassuring for children who don’t want to fall asleep for “fear of missing something”: they can visualize what’s going on.

The last book before bedtime

Nicola O’Byrne; Eds. Nosy Crow Ltd ; 3+.

Back cover

Everyone knows that the very last story before bed is the best story of all. But the problem is, everyone wants to be in that very last story! A familiar fairy tale is turned topsy-turvy when Cinderella hijacks the story of The Three Little Pigs, then Little Red Riding Hood jumps in, adamant that her story is better because it’s full of danger. And then the Big Bad Wolf turns up too! But disaster strikes! Uh-oh! What will they do? The reader is still awake and needs a story! The characters make up their own story, of course, and one with enough funniness, romance, danger AND cake (obviously) to keep everyone happy.

Why I love this book

This book was given to us by a friend. I might not have chosen it myself, but then I would have been wrong: the story is incredible and hilarous! Traditional tales happily mix non without irony and self-derision. The 3 Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella argue forever… And the very famous big bad wolf  doesn’t really know what to do anymore.
We laugh a lot in this quirky book that plays asides with the reader. This is a story to read when you don’t have a hoarse voice, so you can play different voices for all the characters.

Sweetest Kulu

Back cover

Why I love this book

The cover of this book first attracted me for the tenderness it showed. And that is the word that comes to my mind when I think of this book: tenderness, that of a mother who wishes the best for her child. The text, like the illustrations, is soft and delicate, like a mother’s protective embrace; it rolls like a song when you read it. I like to read it whispering to my daughter when she falls asleep.

This book is also a plea for nature and features animals from the Arctic world that are relatively little represented in children’s literature.

 

Hey Grandude!

Paul Mc Cartney, Illustrations : Kathryn Durst, Eds. Random House Books for Young Readers. 6-8 years old.

Back cover

See the compass needle spin–let the magical fun begin!

Meet Grandude–a super-cool intrepid-explorer grandfather with some amazing tricks up his sleeve. Grandude is a one-of-a-kind adventurer! With his magic compass, he whisks his four grandkids off on whirlwind adventures, taking them all around the globe. Join them as they ride flying fish, dodge stampedes, and escape avalanches! Brought to life with gloriously colorful illustrations from talented artist Kathryn Durst, it’s the perfect bedtime story for little explorers.

Why I love this book

Okay, I have to admit that what first attracted me was the name Paul McCartney. I was curious to see what kind of story he had imagined for his grandchildren.

” I wanted to write a book for grandparents all over the world so that they would have a story to read to their grandchildren.”

That’s what he said about the book. And I wasn’t disappointed: amazing adventures in a variety of settings, everything is there to make children have the most wonderful dreams. Grandpa’s character is extremely endearing. In short, I love this story which ends with a nice “it’s time to go to bed” after a big adventure. The illustrations are as sparkling as the text.

King Lizard’s Kingdom

Gaëlle Gygax-Zosso ; Illustrations : Caroline Aellen ; Eds Be the one through my words. 6-9 years old.

Synopsis

The story is based on a lizard that has found shelter in the forest, he becomes a friend of a tree but above all he will become the King of the Kingdom because he will save the forest from an imminent danger that only he knows because he comes from the city. This danger comes from men. The lizard brings the answer of “who is the danger”, but then forest  finds the solution of how to counter it by teaching the lizard how its information system works.
Through its narrative, the book addresses messages such as solidarity, the
trust, believing in one’s dreams. The idea is also to make children understand that each tree, each wood can become its Kingdom.

Why I love this tale

Found on instagram, I was curious about this book inspired by a real place in Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. And then it was also an opportunity to support another entrepreneur, like me. I am realy fan of the concept. The book is atypical, in the good way. I can’t classify it in just one category, and I like that! When you buy the book, you have direct access to a bilingual version (English-French), you just have to turn the book to change language.
But what I liked best is that the story allows us to talk about ecology and nature protection in a positive way.

The story takes us into an imaginary world (… or not, who knows?) Even as an adult, we want this lizard to really exist and above all, we want to walk in the forest and rediscover everything. I also a big fan of Caroline Aellen’s delicate illustrations (note that a coloring book is offered to you by purchasing the book), and of the Q&A pages (to be read during the day so as not to cut the magic of the story at night and prolong the experience of the book) to develop your knowledge of nature. We will surely go to the Vullieren’s castle  to “discover the lizard king for real” and all the wonders that surround him.

Another important element about this book: it is 100% Swiss Made, written, illustrated, laid out and printed in Switzerland. It showcases Swiss know-how. Its author, Gaëlle Gygax-Zosso,told to me that it would not have made sense for an ecological fable to make it travel miles by truck to reach bookstores.

Besides, I was curious and Gaëlle agreed to answer a few questions (the interview took place in French and was then translated for the english version of this article).

Some words with Gaëlle, the author of King Lizard’s Kingdom

titoudou – Hello Gaëlle, could you briefly introduce yourself?

Gaëlle – I…, wait, I have to think, I stopped at 40… I’m 42.
I’m the mother of a 6 and a half year old girl (every month counts at that age and not only), her name is Jade and her middle name Ange is my mom’s grandmother’s name. My profession, storytelling, as long as there are words that make sense. From 1 to thousands of words, I write for people, brands, products, places. After nearly 15 years in the watchmaking business, and with the arrival of Jade, making words my daily life has become an evidence. My ikigai *.

* Ikigai is the Japanese equivalent of mainspring.

Has it always been obvious that you would write for a living?

Yes, as a child I wrote a lot, as an only child I made up my own stories. As a teenager, I loved French and philosophy essays. Then the right to unity gave me the meaning of words and the measure of their power, as well as their rigour. After that, I always wrote for the watch and jewellery brands I worked for.

Where does the idea of the book King Lizard’s Kingdom come from?

It all started with the idea of writing a children’s book. It was my daughter who, when she was about 3 years old, asked me what my job was. I simplified storytelling by telling her that I wrote stories for grown-ups, and with spontaneity she told me: Mummy, why don’t you write stories for children too? Her wish became my dream, and this dream became a reality. Then I shared this dream with some very close people, including a friend, Sophie Bertorelli, who manages the “Château de Vullierens”.

One day she calls me to show me a tree in the woods of the place, on which we see, we guess, we imagine a lizard (the bark draws this shape). When I see this tree, I realize that if it exists, it’s because the lord who manages this place has preserved it and I say to myself why not tell how it got here and talk about the preservation of Nature, a subject that lives in us as a family and that resonates particularly for Jade, who has been very sensitive to it since she was very young. I start the research and very quickly the elements come together like a puzzle.

Your book talks about Ecology and the preservation of Nature in a positive way, encouraginf the reader to take time and learn more about Nature and the way it works. In addition to the tale, it’s full of information, especially in the Q&A pages. Have you done any specific research?

Yes, of course, I am not a specialist in this field, so I have done a lot of research, asked for validation of information from nature protection organizations such as WWF or Greenpeace; the references appear in the book as a legend. And then I asked the woodcutter of the Château de Vullierens, Sylvain Miaz, to reread my texts to make sure that I had not left any mistakes. I also asked my daughter’s school teacher, Laure Kessler, to give me her feedback on the children’s understanding of the book. Thanks to her advice, there is now a lexicon at the beginning of the book. Finally, not being an author, I went to the nearest bookstore, Chez Payot in Morges, and asked the youth leader, Sophie Moor, to give me her feedback on the way I wrote the book.

For me, it was important that this book conveyed values – respect, trust, solidarity -, that it invited children and their parents to become even more aware of the need to protect this Nature that nourishes us every day, and also to make children both dream and learn. This is why I have chosen this format: story and Q&A, on the one hand the magic of Nature and on the other hand an explained magic, in a scientific manner. I think this is also intimately linked to my legal training: to back up what is said, to give meaning to words.

The book includes Volumes I and II. Soooo… I have to ask : Do you plan a sequel?

Yes, the framework of volume III is already defined, the title too: The Sacred Guardian. It is a spruce in the existing history, the essence most sensitive to climate change. The ideas of volume IV are also already set. After writing King Lizard’s Kingdom in spring of 2018, I also wrote, in October 2018, the first volume of a collection entitled Jade’s Journeys. It is a very consequent project with about twenty books, for which I will seek funding or a publishing house.

The King Lizard’s Kingdom is a self-publishing book; My storytelling company financed its realization. I wrote the book “quickly”, less than two months for the first version. Now the distribution and promotion of the book takes time and the priority remains my storytelling work and therefore my mandates. I still have big dreams, and I invite the
children and adults who read this book to dream big too.

I’m looking forward to discovering the sequel as well as Jade’s journeys. Good luck with all your projects!

Thank you Carine.

 

“Wisdom is to have dreams big enough not to lose sight when we pursue them” Oscar Wilde.

 

I hope you enjoyed this short selection. Do you know any of these books? Please, do share with us why you like them! Did you discover some of them? Do you have others to suggest for this selection that I could add? Feel free to share your experiences in comments.