Sweet, hopeful bedtime chapter book reads for grownups (and kids, too) by Multcolib My Librarian TashaLike this list

22 items

• Beti and the Little Round House

  Atinuke,

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  A gentle, sweet tale with Beti, her family, and all the loving hijinks they get up to over the course of four seasons.

• The Tale of Despereaux

  Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread

  DiCamillo, Kate,

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  A modern fairytale with a soup-loving princess and a mouse in shining armor. One of the greatest read alouds of all time, in this librarian's opinion.

• Appleblossom the Possum

  Sloan, Holly Goldberg, 1958-

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  Despite learning better from her mama, a curious young possum ends up in a human house, plotting her way back to her family as her brothers figure out how to rescue her. Charming and funny look at family.

• Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

  Lin, Grace

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  First in a loosely connected series based on Chinese folklore, each chapter is a story in a larger tale perfect for reading aloud. Gently adventurous.

• The Ogress and the Orphans

  Barnhill, Kelly Regan,

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  Sweet, thoughtful, nuanced fantasy about repairing a broken community and building joy.

• Sisters of the Neversea

  Smith, Cynthia Leitich,

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  A lovely Peter Pan retelling centering step siblings Lily and Wendy as the protagonists and telling the story through an Indigenous lens.

• Once Upon a Camel

  Appelt, Kathi, 1954-

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  In an effort to distract two young kestrels she's rescuing from a sandstorm, elderly camel Zada (as in Scheherazade) shares vivid stories from her fascinating life. These stories are beautifully written and evocative, even if you're not a young…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Puppet

  Almond, David, 1951-

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  A sweet, thoughtful retelling of the Pinocchio story as an old puppet maker creates one more puppet and reflects with wonder as he teaches a young girl his craft. Content warning for grief handled gently and in a lovely way.

• The Girl Who Drank the Moon

  Barnhill, Kelly Regan,

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  Beautiful found family fantasy fairytale about a young girl, the witch, dragon, and swamp monster who raise her, and a devious plot to maintain political. Excellent read aloud, but warning that it might be too interesting to stop at one chapter.

• The Prince and the Dressmaker

  Wang, Jen, 1984-

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  Graphic novel aimed at middle grade and up with a little queer romance included.

• Ways to Make Sunshine

  Watson, Renée,

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  Delightful, realistic story of a young girl determine to make sunshine even when dealing with change. Set here in PDX, Main character Ryan is a modern day Ramona Quimby.

• Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey

  Kelly, Erin Entrada,

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  A charming, sweet look at friendship from the perspective of an early elementary child dealing with her fear of heights.

• Hello Universe

  Kelly, Erin Entrada,

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  Filled with humor, hope, and resilience, this book is set in one day as the lives of several middle schoolers interconnect in different ways. Included as an alternative to the above book written by the same author for a slightly older audience.

• The List of Things That Will Not Change

  Stead, Rebecca,

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  Utterly charming personal story of a young girl reflecting on the changes in her life over the last 4 years since her parents divorced as her father prepares to marry his partner. Uplifting without being treacly, and lovely for pondering.

• Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

  Jones, Kelly (Kelly Anne), 1976-

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  Told through a series of letters about the titular chickens, this is genuinely informative about chickens while also being funny, sweet, entertaining, and quirky.

• The House That Wasn't There

  Arnold, Elana K.,

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  A slowly unfolding story told with touches of everyday magic as neighbors Alder and Oak meet and find similarities in spite of differences that might keep a friendship from forming. Also there are kittens.

• To Night Owl From Dogfish

  Sloan, Holly Goldberg, 1958-

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  Fun, sweet story told in letters of two girls getting acquainted upon finding out their dads have been secretly dating and marriage is in the future.

• Adventures With Waffles

  Parr, Maria, 1981-

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  Set in a small Norwegian town and filled with charm, friendship, loving family and wistfulness, and the occasion whacky adventure.

• The Penderwicks

  a Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

  Birdsall, Jeanne,

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  Exactly what the subtitle says, wrapped in a sweet and salty package with echoes of Louisa May Alcott.

• Brown Girl Dreaming

  Woodson, Jacqueline,

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  Beautifully written, novel in verse memoir of the author's young life as Black child living in the South and in NYC, bittersweet and hopeful all at once.