Peekaboo Bedtime by Rachel Isadora.

A game of peekaboo leads to bedtime through the eyes of a precious toddler.  Set in the evening, the little one peeks and finds grandparents, the moon, a cat, a puppy, a rubber duckie, and finally blankie and bed.  Done with a wonderful spirit and gentle sense of fun, this book captures the surprise of peekaboo with a delightfully small group of words.

Isadora’s vibrant and luscious paintings are pitch perfect and capture glimpses of the child’s loving family and a gentle, caring feel.  With large fonts, few words and an endearing main character, this book is sure to be a hit with toddlers and babies.

The perfect bedtime snuggling book, this book is appropriate for sleepy or not-so-sleepy babies and toddlers.

Bandit by Karen Rostoker-Gruber, illustrated by Vincent Nguyen.

Poor Bandit, his entire home has been packed up around him.  No couch, no litter box, no food bowl.  He is put into a carrier and immediately knows that he is headed for the vet.  But instead he finds himself in an empty house with none of his beloved things!  So he heads back out on his own and returns to his house, curling up in the sunny spot he loves.  His owner comes to rescue him when the new family throws him out of the house, and when they return to the new home he finds all of his things waiting there for him.

This is a great book to share with small children about moving.  Bandit is a captivating character who doesn’t back down from anything and is constantly making side-remarks to everyone around.  While Bandit talks like a person to the reader, he is entirely animal-like in his behavior.  Nguyen’s illustrations are done in a comic-book style with thought and speech bubbles and frames.  The use of a newspaper-like background also adds to this feel.

Children will see their own worries about moving reflected here and will enjoy the light tone and the animal character.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.