5 Awesome Books About Napping
Little one having trouble settling in for that much-needed afternoon nap? Perhaps they’re in need of some read-aloud inspiration (and, no, we don’t mean Go the F**k to Sleep). The truth is everyone could benefit from a little midday break, but kids might be more into hearing that message in rhyming form with pretty pictures rather than the same old spiel from Mom or Dad. From a story of a grumpy elephant in need of some shuteye to a tale about a colorful kangaroo in Timbuktu, our picks for naptime reading will hopefully make those eyelids a little heavier—or at least score you some quiet time.
I Will Take a Nap!, by Mo Willems
Gerald just wants to take a nap in Mo Willems’s Elephant & Piggie adventure. He likes napping, and he knows he feels better when he’s well-rested. But then his best pal, Piggie, shows up and decides that she wants to take a nap too—of course, her version of napping is a bit less restful than Gerald has in mind in this fantastic and funny addition to Willems’s collection.
The Napping House, by Audrey and Don Wood
“There is a house, a napping house, where everyone is sleeping.” And readers will learn exactly who “everyone” in this sleeping heap includes—a snoring granny, a dreaming child, a dozing dog, a snoozing cat, and more—in this cumulative story with rhythmic text and dreamy illustrations sure to make this book a bedtime favorite. And even if your kids aren’t asleep by the end, they’ll likely have all the words memorized.
Naptime, by Elizabeth Verdick
To a toddler, naptime can mean the end of the world (or at least the end of watching Sesame Street), but Elizabeth Verdick’s sweet board book can serve as an important teaching tool and reminder that “naps are just a little break.” Part of the Toddler Tools series (Mealtime, On-the-Go Time, and Manners Time, among others), Naptime offers a rhyming story with simple illustrations to help ease the transition for children moving from playtime to sleep.
Naptime with Theo and Beau, by Jessica Shyba
Pictures of babies and puppies?! What more could you ask for??? Adorable real-life best friends, rescue puppy Theo and toddler Beau nap together every day, so Beau’s mom, Jessica, did the natural thing and posted pictures of her super-cute sleeping duo on her blog, Momma’s Gone City. The pics became so popular that Jessica paired them up with some super-sweet captions to bring you Naptime with Theo and Beau. Now, everyone say it together: “Awwwwwww!”
Nap-a-Roo, by Kristy Kurjan
Everyone could use a nap—even a kangaroo who lives in a zoo in Timbuktu with a dog named Lou like the one in this imaginative, nap-encouraging board book. Kids and parents alike will enjoy the silly, rhyming text and colorful illustrations as they follow the kangaroo with the purple stuffed animal in his pouch through the zoo as he gets ready for his own nap-a-roo—and hopefully gets the kiddos to take one of their own.
What’s your favorite book about napping?