Mixed with the smell of baby lotion, footie pajamas, and snuggles, reading with our boys before bedtime is hands-down my favorite time of the day. Piled on the couch together and soaking up the last few moments before bedtime, it’s my last chance of the day to hear their giggles and to impress God’s truth on my boys…my two favorite things. Each night, my oldest son lingers over the bedtime book basket, choosing the perfect book to bring a smile and a laugh to our day’s end. Likewise, I linger over the shelf of books I’ve handpicked to point my boys to Jesus, because I realized long ago that I needed to use every opportunity to capture their heart…bedtime books included.

It works for us, this routine of two books and a Bible story before bed, and I thought I might share a few of our most treasured reads. Since Jonah (our oldest at 4 years old) chooses our “Giggle Book” for the night, I asked him to help me with this list. Our list is split into two categories–Giggle Books & Mom’s Picks. I hope you find a few new treasures!

Giggle Books for Boys:

Zoomer is just plain fun and all-boy! The hilariously far-fetched things Zoomer does gets my son laughing the deep, belly laughs. Although his dad begs him to get ready for school, how can Zoomer make time for school with such a full schedule? He has to blow the world’s biggest bubble, build a Brontosaurus out of sand, launch a rocket ship—and that’s just the beginning! Boys will laugh out loud at the surprise ending that proves Zoomer knows best after all.

You knew I had to go there…I mean, I am a boy mom, after all! Aliens Love Underpants is perfect for bringing out the silly in your boys. When little aliens fly down to Earth, they don’t come to visit because they want to meet the Earthlings. They simply want to steal everybody’s underpants! I double-dog dare you to keep a straight face while reading this one!

How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? Boys & Dinosaurs. Need I say more?

Rhyming Dust Bunnies Bug! Rug! Mug! Hug! These dust bunnies love to rhyme. Well, except for Bob. Much to the other bunnies’ frustration, Bob can never get the rhythm right. Then he saves everyone from a big, scary monster wielding—gasp!—a broom, and they all breathe a sigh of relief. But can Bob save them from the big, scary monster’s next attack? Vrrrrrroooommm . . .

Double Trouble In Walla Walla will have you doubled over in laughter from the antics of a magnificent red-head named Lulu who sets the entire school ablaze with catchy two word phrases such as higgledy-piggledy, chitter chatter when she is sent trit-trot down to the principals office for all of her fancy-schmancy yak-yak. Don’t miss this one. It’s a hoot!

Mom’s Picks:

The Boy Who Changed the World is one of our all-time favorites! This engaging story reveals the incredible truth that everything we do matters! The book is beautifully illustrated and shares the stories of Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug, Vice President Henry Wallace, Inventor George Washington Carver, and Farmer Moses Carver. I love using this book to remind my son that he can do big things for God.

I’d Choose You is a book I pull out when it’s been a rough day around our house. This book helps encourage conversation about our bad day and reinforces that, even on our worst days, we are we are chosen and treasured (Deuteronomy 7:6) A message that even Mommy needs to hear some days!
His Mighty Warrior: A Treasure Map from Your King offers the truth about what it really means to grow up strong, brave and true. I cannot recommend this book highly enough! You know all those warrior prayers we’ve been praying? This book addresses some of the same things, but from the boy level. Take a look at the preview feature in Amazon…I promise you’ll be hooked!

Brave Young Knight tells the story of a boy in competition with other young knights to become prince of all the land. In a series of contests and competitions, the king recognizes the brave young knight as the winner, not because he was the fastest or strongest, and not because he was smarter or more cunning than the other knights. Rather, the brave young knight is the winner because he doesn’t follow the crowd, instead making decisions based on what is right and true and in accordance with his faith. The moral of the story is that the bravest young boys are those who exhibit the strongest character.

Lightkeepers: Ten Boys Complete Box Set Along the same theme as The Boy Who Changed the World (above), each book in this set takes a look at ten boys and how God changed them into men who changed the world in some way. I love the themes of each of the books and the ten boys who represent each of the themes are great role models. The individual books in the set include: Ten Boys Who Changed The World, Ten Boys Who Made A Difference, Ten Boys Who Made History, Ten Boys Who Used Their Talents, Ten Boys Who Didn’t Give In. And if you are interested, there are girl versions of all of these, too! (Note: My boys aren’t quite old enough for this set yet, but I can’t wait to read them to my boys! My set is waiting on our shelf! Recommend for Age 9 and up)

Our Favorite Bible:

I would be missing an opportunity if I didn’t share our favorite Children’s Bible!

The Jesus Storybook Bible is our absolute favorite because “every story whispers His name”.  I love how each story points back to Christ and God’s beautiful plan of redemption. The illustrations are gorgeous, too!

Moms, let’s not forget to seize every last opportunity of the day to have fun with our silly boys and to point them to Jesus. Do you have a book that should be on this list? Share it in the comments!