Bedtime Stories 2.0

The word "bedtime" is deceptive. It implies that there is a specific time when children simply go to bed. With three little boys there is no such thing as just going to bed.

It is more like a long, drawn-out ordeal. Better yet, it is a painful process of brushing and flushing, snacks and drinks, finding pajamas that fit, and searching for that stuffed animal my son cannot possibly, conceivably, ever sleep without, but has not idea where he threw it absent-mindedly several hours ago. By the time we finally get the boys to bed (by which I mean the third and final time they go to bed after coming down the stairs several times) we are so tired that we just want to go to sleep.

So I am always looking for anything that makes the bedtime routine go more smoothly. One of the better tactics is reading a bedtime story. It can be a great time to bond with your kids, help teach them new vocabulary and facts, stretch their imaginations, and hopefully quiet them down gently to ease them into sleep.


Of course with three boys covering a four-year age span, there can be challenges with even a simple bedtime story. I want to make sure each child can see the book, but they can’t all sit together or someone will inevitably start touching someone else, and well, you know where that leads. Plus I need the room dark so they will fall asleep, but I need light for the book. To address this, in typical "geek dad" fashion I have come up with a more modern take on bedtime stories.

First, we have an old television in the boys' room that they use for movies and video games on the ancient Nintendo 64. Next, we have an old video camera (the kind that records on this strange media called a "tape") and we really do not use that camcorder anymore since we got a nice digital one for our vacation last year. So what I do is this:

• The boys get all comfortable in their beds.
• I attach a flashlight to the video camera with silly bands (glad to find a use for them now that the craze has passed).
• I plug the video camera into the TV with an RCA cable (yellow, red, and white plugs).
• And then I read the book while displaying it on the TV for the boys to see.

It really works well. All three boys can see the book very well on the TV. No one has to get up or crowd around or push and shove. The room stays reasonably dark. And I can zoom in very close on any pictures or words or details I want to highlight. I can even add "shaky-cam" special effects for earthquakes and tornadoes in the stories by, well, shaking the camera.

The only thing left is picking the right book. We have tried a lot of different stories over the years. Below are five of the best book series I have found for young boys, that also do a good job of appealing to a wide age range.

"Moongobble and Me" book series - By Bruce Coville

In this series of five books, a boy named Edward teams up with the wizard Moongobble and his talking toad Urk to go on many adventures and meet awesome characters such as the Dragon of Doom, the Weeping Werewolf and the Naughty Nork. My favorite part is getting to make all the different voices for each character (I’ll admit there is a little Slingblade in my version of Urk). [Amazon Link]

"The Magic Treehouse" book series - By Mary Pope Osborne

There a several dozen books in this long-running series, so you will not run out any time soon. In the stories, brother and sister, Jack and Annie, travel through time and space in a magic tree house. Each book is filled with adventure but also teaches kids a lot about the historical location for each story. My boys love the stories and have learned a lot. [Amazon Link]

"Never Land" book series - By Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry

These short books are a great, fresh take on the Peter Pan legend by focusing on the lost boys, their adventures, and of course Captain Hook. A bonus is that these books are co-authored by one of my favorite humorists, Dave Barry. The bad part is that I always lose my voice doing Captain Hook. [Amazon Link]

"Secrets of Droon" book series - By Tony Abbott

We have just started into this series, but so far the boys have really enjoyed them. They follow the adventures of Eric, Julie, and Neal as they visit the secret world of Droon through a special passage in Eric’s basement. This is a great one for kids who love magic and monsters. [Amazon Link]

"Frannie K. Stein" book series - By Jim Benton

My final example is a series of short books about a little girl who also happens to be a mad scientist. Although the stories are filled with crazy experiments, bizarre creatures, and crude humor that boys love, Frannie also helps teach kids it's OK to be different as long as you are being yourself. [Amazon Link]





What books have you found to be best for bedtime stories? Please share your suggestions in the comments. I am always looking for new books to make the bedtime routine go better.