Brighter days are coming, but we need to get through winter’s long, dark evenings first. Here are three new nighttime-themed titles to share with your little ones when they swear they’re not sleepy and beg for just one more story before bed.

Ella’s Night Lights by Lucy Fleming (Candlewick). A wee sprite named Ella lovingly flies through the night sky gathering bits of light — starlight, moonlight, lamplight — to soothe creatures afraid of the dark. “Here’s some bright light. Here’s a night light, a little ray to calm your fright.” But her own delicate, easily burned wings mean Ella can’t have her one wish: to see the sun. At least not until the grateful woodland critters find a clever way to repay Ella’s kindness by making her dream come true!

Wakey Birds by Maddie Frost (Templar Books). There are lots of reasons why the Wakey Birds can’t sleep! “They can’t get comfortable. They are easily spooked. They have lots of BIG thoughts. They get itchy.” Sure, the jungle’s Soothing Shushers and Go-to-Sleep Leapers eventually get most of the feathered fun-lovers tucked in, but when one frisky bird still can’t nod off? She accidentally disturbs the Dreaded Jungle Beast. “Gulp!”

Bedtime for Albie by Sophie Ambrose (Candlewick). “There was a rosy-pink glow in the sky as the sun was sinking down low. All the animals knew it was time for bed. Everyone except for…Albie.” The rambunctious warthog wants to play! So he runs around the tundra visiting the cheetahs, elephants, meerkats, and snakes, but they’re getting ready for sleep. Oh, well. “Skippety trot trit trot.” Albie dashes off to find somebody to play with because nothing is better than playing. Except maybe a splishy, squishy, bedtime mud bath, that is…

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