From Valenslime to Bedtime

guest picks by author Kris Tarantino

Am I really doing a roundup of bedtime books for this month of heart candies and valentines? No! My friend is. :-) It just so happens my friend, author Kris Tarantino, has created the cutest monster characters you ever did meet, and placed them in a world not unlike your child’s world. In Be My Valenslime Snoodle teaches her grouchy, destructive monster friends how to make Valentines.

I featured it in my Love 2.0 post along with other great Valentine’s Day picks. And in Bedslime Blues, which comes out TODAY, Kris offers a fresh take on avoiding bedtime as Snoodle and her monster friends raise an all-too-familiar resistance to the inevitable snooze.

Who better to get picture books recommendations from than a picture book author? So I asked Kris to share what books she reached for as she crafted her newest book. I’ll let her take it away:

Hi Meredith, thank you for having me! What a fun topic to explore. BedSlime Blues started when my publishing team at WaterBrook/PRH decided they wanted a bedtime story as the next book in the monster series. They picked bedtime since it’s an evergreen kid lit category. The first book in the Slime series, Be My ValenSlime, is seasonal, so this next one needed to have a year-round reach.

Once the team picked bedtime, I looked through Barnes & Noble and the library to see how other authors handled the topic. Themes I saw included: saying good-night to everything, not wanting to go to sleep, bedtime routines, nighttime fears, and more. Bedtime titles that informed BedSlime Blues that I’d also recommend for parents wanting a good bedtime read are:

· Fiona, It’s Bedtime; written and illustrated by Richard Cowdrey. Fiona the hippo says good-night to all her zoo friends. Sweet, beautifully illustrated, and full of animals.

· Time for Bed by Mem Fox; illustrated by Jane Dyer. The lyrical soothing text “announces” to each animal that it’s time for bed. A lullaby of words. (Meredith: I’ve loved this book for thirty years, read it to all three of my kids and now my grandkids. This may be my #1 baby shower pick of all time!)

· Sleepy Sheepy by Lucy Ruth Cummins; illustrated by Pete Oswald. Sleepy Sheepy is wide awake and definitely not sleepy. Humor, word-play and silly “stay awake” antics abound. But sleepiness finally comes and soon Sleepy Sheepy is fast a-sleepy. Cute and satisfying.

· Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney. Llama exhibits typical fears of a young child who gets tucked into bed, but immediately feels alone and nervous in the dark. He wants his Mamma now! When Mamma doesn’t come, he panics and wonders if Mama is gone? And gets a soothing reassurance when Mama reappears. Endearing. (Meredith: I second this as a great pick, cutest llama ever!)

Next, because BedSlime Blues would be book 2 in a series, I also looked at picture book series to see how the same characters were handled. The following are some picture book “series” done well:

· Grumpy Monkey books by Suzanne Lang; illustrated by Max Lang.

· Bear Snores On books by Karma Wilson; illustrated by Jane Chapman. (Meredith: I love these Bear books!!)

· Nugget & Fang books by Tammi Sauer; illustrated by Michael Slack. (Meredith: Tammi Sauer has a great sense of humor, golden for picture books!)

· Fancy Nancy books by Jane O’Connor; illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser (Meredith: fun fact, Robin Preiss Glasser was also the illustrator for A Sock is a Pocket for Your Toes, first published book by Liz Garton Scanlon, guest on My First Book Story)

· Llama Llama books by Anna Dewdney. (Meredith: these are perfect board books, just right for littles)

· Little Mole books by Glenys Nellist; illustrated by Sally Garland.

Lastly, since I have four monster characters—more than the typical one or two—I also looked at picture book series with three or more characters. The following are two picture book “series” that handle multiple characters well:

· Too Many Carrots, The Golden Acorn, and A Loud Winter’s Nap by Katy Hudson (same five animals).

· Bear Snores On books by Karma Wilson; Illustrated by Jane Chapman.

After the research, it hit me. I needed to write a bedtime story that reflected how my monsters—who generally don’t like anything—also don’t like bedtime. I thought about how that would look within typical bedtime routines, both funny and heartwarming. I also looked at various Bible verses on peace and sleeping. My editor and I worked on adding a ‘peace layer’ where the monsters ultimately settle down and find peace. Psalm 4:8 I will lay down and sleep in peace for you alone Lord, will keep me safe. And since this was a series, I was careful to keep a similar story opening and key elements from Be My ValenSlime to anchor BedSlime Blues.

Thanks to Kris for so many great book recommendations and giving us a peek into her process!

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Bedslime Blues can be found wherever books are sold, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop, Christianbooks.com, Walmart and Target.

Kris Tarantino is a children’s book author whose work is filled with humor and heart. Her debut book, Be My ValenSlime, illustrated by NYT bestselling Cori Doerrfeld, received critical praise and a starred review by School Library Journal. Kris is a member of SCBWI and speaks frequently at conferences and schools. Most recently, she was selected to participate in the 2025 Storyfest Literacy Day in San Antonio, TX, part of the school district’s yearly celebration of books and reading. In 2024, Kris was selected to be a faculty presenter at the All Texas SCBWI Conference. Visit her online at:

Website: www.kristarantino.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kris.tarantino.5

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristarantino/

X / Twitter: https://x.com/kris_tarantino

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My name is Meredith Davis, and I’m an award winning writer of middle grade books, a former indie bookseller, founder of the Austin chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and graduate of Vermont College of Fine Arts with an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Find teaching resources and author visit information on my website at www.meredithldavis.com. Mother to three, Nana to one and counting TWO, I live with my husband and a crazy doodle in Austin, Texas.