Time for Bed (by Mem Fox)

The gentle rhythm and lush blue-and-green watercolors make TIME FOR BED a book parents and kids will choose over and over. It's nearly impossible to read the poem in anything but a hushed, slow voice. The repetition and rhythm encourage parent and child to slow down and take time over each page. The sheep touch noses, the mother cat washes her kitten, and the deer nuzzles its fawn.

Jane Dyer's watercolors cover each double-page spread. She has painted every parent with a loving gaze, even if that parent is a cow or fish or dog. And every baby's eyes are almost closing.