Top 10 Bedtime Books for iPad
Children’s picture books are read at lots of times of day. For instance, my son and I love to read at lunchtime (we get stuck in the car on rainy days between his two preschool programs). We also read when we’re waiting … for the doctor, the dentist or even in line at the store sometimes. But in the end, the bulk of our reading books together happens at bedtime. I suspect this is true across households all over the world.
Nothing beats a good bedtime story to settle a child down and have a little special time with their parents before bed. As a parent, I need to find bedtime books in the sea of iPad offerings, and this is one of the reasons I started Digital Storytime. We have a star rating system just for bedtime suitability – a special category that no other review site has (that I know of).
Bedtime books also need to be time-limited, depending on how much time before it’s time to go to sleep. I test every book to see how long it takes to play or read, in addition to listing the number of pages, so parents can find out how long it will take to get through the app on average. Bedtime must come eventually and knowing how long until you tuck your kid in is very important.
So here are my favorites for bedtime reading – all relatively short (under 10 minutes) & with little or no interactivity. They are sure to bring sweet dreams!
1. Far to the North
2. Peterkin Meets a Star
3. The Wrong Side of the Bed
4. A Hug and a Kiss
5. Monkey & Croc
6. Mrs. Gigglebelly is coming for tea
7. Mabel’s New Home
8. Lazy Larry Lizard
9. Hiku
10. Tractor Mac Books (3 Titles for iPad)
And a special mention goes to my top 5 interactive books that are als0 suited for bedtime because of their subject matter, music or other features that make them relaxing bedtime treats.
1. Pop-Out: The Tale of Peter Rabbit
2. Five Little Monkey’s Jumping on the Bed
3. AstroJammies
4. Penelope the Purple Pirate
5. Zoobert
And what are your favorite reads for pajama storytime on the iPad?
Category: All About Apps, Top 10 Lists
Love the list. May be you can tell the ebook developers to add an option to highlight the word that is being read. This will significantly help all kids especially special needs kids. thx
Siva
I’m thrilled to be included in your Top 10 Bedtime Books for iPad! I really enjoyed writing “Far to the North” and had great fun illustrating it. It makes me smile to think of children dreaming of my playful polar bears in the Far North.
Thank you.
Gina
WOW! What a compliment to be included in the Top Ten! We truly enjoyed making a Hug and a Kiss, along with the other books in the series. A big team went to into building these apps, including the author, illustrator, programmers, translators and professionals who did the voice-overs. It was lots of fun and a labor of love.
Wow, our storybook is perfect for this list. Our bedtime story is currently featured by Apple on the front page as is ranked at number 28 in books. It is specifically a bedtime story designed to lull kids to sleep. The sweet story, the calm British voice actress, the soundtrack, and the graceful movements of the dog character all make it designed to help kids to bed. Just read our reviews on iTunes!
I am a former 2nd grade teacher and it is based on my giant Great Pyrenees Dog Liam
The all is called “Around the World with Lilup” Here is a direct link to it in the app store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/around-the-world-with-lilup/id419075416?mt=8&uo=4
Here is a really fun video on Lilup and our other book,
“Nickelby Swift, Kitten Catastrophe”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPrDnFz_Ido
Finally here is an article from March by the Huffington Post all about VivaBook:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-archer/new-interactive-childrens_b_833201.html#s251115&title=Lilup1
I developed a picture book especially aimed at toddlers and preschoolers. While writing and producing it, I always kept the little reader and his/her parents in mind. The story about clown Pansjo is just long enough to keep the little ones interested. The interactions in the picture book are especially focussed on this young target group. Very young children just love repetition and recognition. The voice over can be turned off, so parents can read the story aloud. And you can easily make the text disappear, in case the voice over is turned on. No toddler or preschooler is interested in text, I can tell you for sure (it it the first thing they swipe away when mum or dad is not around to read the story). And yes there is a music option in the menu, but that can be switched off at any time. Which is a good thing to do when you take your toddler to bed! On youtube you can see what Pansjo – Tummy is all about http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1O6psPnC38&feature=mfu. Thanks for your attention! Love your blog articles Carissa! It keeps me alert and informed!
Wow, what a great compilation of bedtime stories! There is a wealth of information listed here for parents. I don’t have many of the books listed but this gives me a plan for future bedtime stories. Thank you for all the great recommendations you always give. Your hard work is certainly appreciated! Have a GREAT day…
I created an iPad book with my kids! It’s a VERY bed time story kind of story. Mellow music… (which you can turn off)
And the greatest teddy bear chase ever that leads you right to a comfy bed! “Where Is My Little Square Bear?”
http://www.facebook.com/SquareBearBook