Goodnight Sleepy Babies - Story Snug

Goodnight Sleepy Babies by Janet Bingham & Sebastien Braun

Today is World Sleep Day, ‘an annual event, intended to be a celebration of sleep’ which makes it the perfect day to think about picture books that can be read as part of a bedtime routine. Goodnight Sleepy Babies with its soothing rhyming text and beautiful illustrations has the quality of a lullaby, it’s a fabulous choice for a bedtime story or simply for those times when children (and parents!) need a calming read.

The Story: As a rabbit and child watch the sunset they say goodnight to a variety of animals and their babies. Once the sun has gone down they snuggle up together in their burrow and say goodnight to each other.

As well as rabbits we are introduced to ten parent / child pairs including songbirds, monkeys, sea otters and foxes. Children are introduced to a variety of animals in the story (I like the fact that several may be unfamiliar to a young child which can extend their learning) as well as the places that they sleep. The introduction of a baby elephant washing at the beginning of the book also conveys the idea of having a bath or shower before snuggling into bed. I love the way that the adult rabbit is gender neutral which allows a child to make their own interpretation based on the sex of the adult who is reading the story to them.

Sebastien Braun’s earthy illustrations complement the story perfectly and each illustration takes up a complete double spread. We find the baby animals particularly cute, the little panda yawning is adorable and my daughter loves the way that the sea otter curls up on Mummy’s tummy as she swims. The colours of the sky are particularly stunning, especially the sunset on the songbirds’ page and the subdued green of the jungle where the monkeys sleep. The front cover is beautiful. The stars and the title are embossed with silver, we love running our fingers over it!

The story can be used to initiate discussion about the different animals, where they sleep and where they live. It can also help a young child to develop the vocabulary to talk about their own bedtime routine.

Goodnight Sleepy Babies has the quality of a lullaby and is the perfect present for a new baby. The final line of the text ‘Goodnight, I Love You’ is exactly what my husband and I say to our daughter every night and we love the way that the story can encourage a child to say their own goodnights to the important people and animals in their lives.

Author: Janet Bingham / Illustrator: Sebastien Braun

Do you have a favourite picture book to help prepare your child to go to sleep?


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24 responses to “Goodnight Sleepy Babies by Janet Bingham & Sebastien Braun”


  1. Louisa avatar

    This sounds like a wonderful story and will make a lovely gift for my younger relations.


    1. Catherine avatar

      It’s a gorgeous book to give to a new baby too ๐Ÿ™‚


  2. Acorn Books avatar

    This looks like such a sweet story and anything that encourages little ones to go to sleep is good for me! #Readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      It’s gorgeous and very soporific in a positive way ๐Ÿ™‚


  3. Sarah MumofThree World avatar

    I do like the sound of a yawning panda! Sleep is something I struggle with, so maybe I need someone to come and read this to me too.


    1. Catherine avatar

      The baby panda yawning is particularly cute ๐Ÿ™‚


  4. Bec @IshMotherBec avatar

    Ahh this sounds lovely! My 2 year old has a nightly reading of ‘The Big Night Night Book’ but it’s getting very tatty now so might need replacing, I’ll bear this one in mind! #ReadWithMe


    1. Catherine avatar

      I don’t know The Big Night Night Book but it’s a great title ๐Ÿ™‚


  5. Yet Another Blogging Mummy avatar

    This sounds a lovely bedtime story. I miss that time now my boys are older #readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      It is! We are still at the stage where sometimes we read together and sometimes the reading is independent. I hope that the reading together lasts for a good while longer ๐Ÿ™‚


  6. chantelle hazelden avatar
    chantelle hazelden

    Oh this sounds utterly adorable and perfect for getting little ones relaxed at bed time #readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      It’s the kind of book that relaxes parents as well as children, it’s a lovely, comforting story ๐Ÿ™‚


  7. Kate Fever avatar

    What a beautiful sounding bedtime story. I love the illustration on the front cover too. Thanks for linking up with #TriedTested


    1. Catherine avatar

      Sebastien Braun’s illustrations are beautiful, we have several of his books.


  8. Susan Mann avatar

    What a beautiful story. A perfect one for bedtime. So cute and lovely xx #TriedTested


    1. Catherine avatar

      It is a perfect story for bedtime, calming for both reader and child ๐Ÿ™‚


  9. Kim Carberry avatar

    Aww! This sounds like the perfect book for bedtime…It sounds like it could really encourage sleep x


    1. Catherine avatar

      It’s lovely for a child to think of all the little animals that will also be going to sleep at the same time ๐Ÿ™‚


  10. Natasha Mairs avatar

    Aww this sounds like a lovey bedtime story #TriedTested


    1. Catherine avatar

      It also has a very calming effect on frazzled parents!


  11. Fiona Cambouropoulos avatar

    The ideal bedtime story, I could feel sleepy just reading this now! #TriedTested


    1. Catherine avatar

      Oops! I didn’t mean for my blogpost to have a soporific effect!!


  12. Jayne @ Sticky Mud and Belly Laughs avatar

    What a perfect storybook for bedtime. I love when they have cute animal characters in and this sounds a fab way to introduce animals and their habitats.
    The final line is what we say to our boys every night too, so they would relate to this ๐Ÿ™‚

    Thanks for sharing with #MMBC. Hope to see you tomorrow x


    1. Catherine avatar

      I love the way that the book introduces some more unusual animals and their babies too. It’s not often you read about sea otters in a picture book ๐Ÿ™‚