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Ever since my first was born we’ve been reading together at bedtime. The habit has come and gone and come back again over the years, changing form again and again. For a long time their Daddy would take the older ones to bed and read bedtime stories while I tended to the little one. But a couple Christmases ago, when we first started reading Jotham together, I realized how much I had missed being a part of their bedtime stories.
Bedtime Stories – Books We Love
So after we finished our Jotham story, we decided not to let go of the habit of reading as a whole family at bedtime. Each night we snuggle together in our jammies buried beneath blankets while Daddy reads aloud. I get some extra snuggle time and the boys get to go to bed ready to dream of adventure.
Deciding exactly which kind of adventure to fill their little minds with was a bit of a challenge. We have two requirements for our stories – they have to hold the kids attention and they have to contribute to their characters in a way that would please the Lord. We started with Narnia and have read through three of them. We were really enjoying them but decided to take a break and wait for the movies.
[amazon_image id=”0142302376″ link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Redwall (Redwall, Book 1)[/amazon_image]
Then I stumbled upon the
. We’re about a third of the way through the first book and so far it is wonderful. It is about a group of peaceful little mice and other woodland creatures living in an abbey that have to join together in a battle against evil. A night doesn’t go by where one of the boys doesn’t say “please Dad, read one more chapter.”
Our little one isn’t quite ready to sit through a chapter book quietly, so we’ll read him one of his own stories and get him settled in bed before we begin. His current favorites are Jamberry and Sheep in a Jeep.
If you have some favorite bedtime stories, please share them. We’re always looking for more good books.
More on Books We Love for Bedtime Reading
- Books We Love
- Books We Love: Preschool Edition
- A new series –
by Kendra
This is precious! Tami was just telling me about the Redwall series last week. We will definitely have to check it out.
I agree with you on continuing the habit after Jotham. We were just reading some Amelia Bedelia last night. She’s so silly! We sometimes save our read alouds from Tapestry for bedtime. I do remember well Once on This Island. Or other nights we do our family journaling.
What wonderful memories you are building for your children. Thanks for sharing.
This is wonderful!! I do any bedtime reading with the boys and I admit I let it slide to often, making excuses to myself but I have been working hard lately no matter how feel to go ahead and do it. I also need to work harder on getting them settled down earlier. I love the pics!! Wonderful memories you are creating!!! Thank you for sharing!!
Redwall was one of our very favorites.
Okay, so I’ve reserved a copy of Redwall at the library 🙂 Reading Jotham together was also a reminder for me about how much I enjoy read-alouds with the whole family.
Some classics we have enjoyed are Little House on the Prairie, Narnia, and the Boxcar Children.
I reserved Redwall today too! We will have a Redwall book club just like Jotham 🙂 Tami R. had recommended Redwall to me not too long ago.
Thanks Kendra for reminding us of the basics.
The other thing I like is that there are about a bazillion books in the series. Okay maybe it is only about 20, but he’s still making new ones, so it will be along time before I have to find another series to read 🙂
OK! More Redwall resources found by my eldest boy. Websites – and the chance to win recipes from the Redwall cookbook! https://www.yourbesthomeschool.com/HodgePodge/Homeschool_Highlights/Entries/2010/3/31_Raves_about_Redwall_and_other_books.html
thanks again Kendra for jump starting this habit!
We love Watership Down by Richard Adams its about a warren of rabbits. kind of C.S. Lewis meets Bryan Jacques. We love the Redwall books and have many of them. Also Anne of Green Gables and The Little House series. We have read through the Chronicles of Narnia and love them. Right now we are reading My Side of the Mountain and we just finished Trails to Poosey which is like a boyish version of Little House. We also Love King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry who wrote all the Misty books. I could go on and on……
I just ordered the first one tonight! Thanks for the suggestion.
Oh enjoy! Y’all will love them!