Pyjamarama: brilliant bedtime books for age 5 upwards
Reading books together is the perfect way to cuddle up with a child, especially after a long day at school.
Sharing the magic of stories as part of the bedtime ritual can calm and soothe children, and ignite their imaginations. Even when they’re learning to read themselves, they enjoy being read to, and poring over the illustrations with an adult.
We think these books are fantastic to read together at bedtime. Most of them are in a series so that you can discover more super stories together.
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Tiny Dogs: Bea’s Secret Friends
Author: Rose Lihou
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 7+
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Tiny Dogs: Bea’s Secret Friends
Author: Rose Lihou
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 7+
Shy Bea meets four cute miniature dogs! Can she protect their garden and keep them secret? A delightful young chapter book for new…
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Call the Puffins!
Author: Cath Howe Illustrator: Ella Okstad
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 5+
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Call the Puffins!
Author: Cath Howe Illustrator: Ella Okstad
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 5+
Muffin the puffin wants to join the Puffin Rescue Team, but will her oddly-shaped feet let her down? A delightful tale of courage,…
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Midnight Magic
Author: Michelle Harrison Illustrator: Elissa Elwick
Interest level: 5-8
Reading age: 6+
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Midnight Magic
Author: Michelle Harrison Illustrator: Elissa Elwick
Interest level: 5-8
Reading age: 6+
A fabulous and fully illustrated rhyming story about a magical kitten and the family who adopt her. Ideal for newly independent re…
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Dragon Mountain
Author: Katie & Kevin Tsang
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
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Dragon Mountain
Author: Katie & Kevin Tsang
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
Billy Chan would rather spend his summer surfing than travelling to China for summer camp - but little does he know, he's about to…
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Squishy McFluff: the Invisible Cat!
Author: Pip Jones Illustrator: Ella Okstad
Interest level: 5+
Reading age: 6+
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Squishy McFluff: the Invisible Cat!
Author: Pip Jones Illustrator: Ella Okstad
Interest level: 5+
Reading age: 6+
Squishy McFluff is Ava's best friend. He may be invisible, but that doesn't stop them having all kinds of fun together - and you w…
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Norse Myths: Tales of Odin, Thor and Loki
Author: Kevin Crossley-Holland Illustrator: Jeffrey Alan Love
Interest level: 7+
Reading age: 8-12
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Norse Myths: Tales of Odin, Thor and Loki
Author: Kevin Crossley-Holland Illustrator: Jeffrey Alan Love
Interest level: 7+
Reading age: 8-12
If your children loved the recent Marvel movies featuring Thor but haven’t heard the original Norse legends before, this fantastic…
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Wild World
Author: Angela McAllister Illustrator: Hvass & Hannibal
Interest level: 5-8
Reading age: 7+
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Wild World
Author: Angela McAllister Illustrator: Hvass & Hannibal
Interest level: 5-8
Reading age: 7+
Wild World is a lush and evocative tribute to the 13 last wildernesses on Earth, written in free verse poetry. It's a lovely …
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What a Day: A mindful moment for bedtime
Author: Emma Ballantine & Mark Strepan Illustrator: Harriet Hobday
Interest level: 2-3
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What a Day: A mindful moment for bedtime
Author: Emma Ballantine & Mark Strepan Illustrator: Harriet Hobday
Interest level: 2-3
Reading age:
Journey through the day to bedtime in this lovely, simple book, which reminds little ones that their adults love to spend time wit…
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A Little Aloud for Children
Author: Various Editor: Angela Macmillan
Interest level: 6-10
Reading age: 9+
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A Little Aloud for Children
Author: Various Editor: Angela Macmillan
Interest level: 6-10
Reading age: 9+
Ideal for classroom use as well as bedtime reading, this is a delightfully varied and enjoyable collection.
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Bedtime Stories: Beautiful Black Tales from the Past
Author: Various Ify Adenuga Candice Brathwaite Ryan Crawford Alex Falase-Koya Mahamed Hashi Ashley Hickson-Lovence Nansubuga Isdahl Sarah Mirkin Jade Mutyora Reggie Nelson Wendy Shearer
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
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Bedtime Stories: Beautiful Black Tales from the Past
Author: Various Ify Adenuga Candice Brathwaite Ryan Crawford Alex Falase-Koya Mahamed Hashi Ashley Hickson-Lovence Nansubuga Isdahl Sarah Mirkin Jade Mutyora Reggie Nelson Wendy Shearer
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
This exciting, illustrated collection features informative, interesting and inspirational stories from the lives of Black figures …
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Mr Penguin and the Catastrophic Cruise
Author: Alex T Smith
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
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Mr Penguin and the Catastrophic Cruise
Author: Alex T Smith
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
Mr Penguin is setting sail on the Saucy Sandra cruise ship for a well-earned holiday. But is everything what it seems? The th…
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Framed
Author: Frank Cottrell Boyce Illustrator: Steven Lenton
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
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Framed
Author: Frank Cottrell Boyce Illustrator: Steven Lenton
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
The story centres on Dylan Hughes, the only boy left in a small Welsh mountain town called Manod. This is an immensely entertainin…
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Secret Beast Club: The Unicorns of Silver Street
Author: Robin Birch Illustrator: Jobe Anderson
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 7+
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Secret Beast Club: The Unicorns of Silver Street
Author: Robin Birch Illustrator: Jobe Anderson
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 7+
When best friends Aisha and Jayden become members of the Secret Beast Club, their first magical mission is to rescue a lost unicor…
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Drew, Moo and Bunny, Too
Author: Owen Sheers Illustrator: Helen Stephens
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 7+
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Drew, Moo and Bunny, Too
Author: Owen Sheers Illustrator: Helen Stephens
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 7+
With soft yet dramatic illustrations, and a rollicking rhythm and rhyme to the words, this is a delight to read aloud. It would be…
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Sammy the Shy Kitten
Author: Holly Webb Illustrator: Sophy Williams
Interest level: 5
Reading age: 7
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Sammy the Shy Kitten
Author: Holly Webb Illustrator: Sophy Williams
Interest level: 5
Reading age: 7
Emma wants to adopt one of the kittens from her riding stables, but they are half wild. She must convince her mum that Sammy, the …
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Honey’s Hive
Author: Mo O’Hara Illustrator: Aya Kakeda
Interest level: 6-8
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Honey’s Hive
Author: Mo O’Hara Illustrator: Aya Kakeda
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age:
This is the first book in a new series from Mo O’Hara, the author of many hilarious picture books such as My Big Fat Zombie Goldfi…
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Sona Sharma: Very Best Big Sister
Author: Chitra Soundar Illustrator: Jen Khatun
Interest level: 7-9
Reading age: 7+
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Sona Sharma: Very Best Big Sister
Author: Chitra Soundar Illustrator: Jen Khatun
Interest level: 7-9
Reading age: 7+
Sona Sharma is not sure about being a big sister: it will mean she has to share her family and her favourite things. But when the …
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Finding Hope
Author: Nicola Baker Illustrator: Rachael Dean
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 8+
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Finding Hope
Author: Nicola Baker Illustrator: Rachael Dean
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 8+
While staying on her aunt and uncle’s farm, Ava helps to nurse an abandoned, newborn lamb back to health. However, she keeps makin…
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