If your bedtime routine is anything like ours, it includes book after book after book. That's why I love Sandra Boynton books, they're short and sweet, so I don't mind picking up another when Joel asks 'just one more story Mom?' I received a few Boynton books as gifts when I had Joel, and have purchased many more over the past couple of years. We have quite a collection now, and they are by far the most read books on our shelves.

I first started reading Pajama Time to Joel when he was about 6 months old, and he never tired of it. It's one of our favourites because it turns bedtime in to party time! Another one of we love is Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs. This book is full of dinosaur opposites! Near the end all the dinosaurs get crammed in an elevator, which is Joel's favourite part. He pretends that he is pushing the elevator buttons and joining the dinos for a ride!

Hippos Go Berserk is my personal favourite. I've read it so many times I can read it with my eyes closed, which I've even done a couple of times in the middle of the night. The ending is cute and always makes us chuckle.Moo Moo Baa Baa La La La is also a classic Boynton book. We don't actually have it, but I can tell you that I have heard this book recited by parents several times before - at playdates, in the nursing room at the mall and believe it or not even during swimming lessons! A cow says moo, a sheep says baa, three singing pigs say la la la...

I highly recommend starting out your bedtime reading with a couple of Boynton books ('serious silliness for all ages' as the publisher's site describes them). They're so much fun to read and I guarantee your kids will love them! And so will you!

If you're looking for a gift idea for a new parent or for a 1st birthday, you can pick up Sandra Boyton's Greatest Hits Vol. 1 at Chapters.