We’re Jammin’: 8 Playful Picture Books About Pajamas
by Devon A. Corneal
As I write this, I’m wearing my favorite pajamas. They are old-fashioned men’s PJs with dark blue piping and a pocket. I’ve never used the pocket, but it adds a certain flair to my nighttime attire. If it were up to me, I’d stay in my pajamas all day long, wrapped up in a blanket with a good book. When that isn’t possible, I do the next best thing and read stories about pajamas with my kid. This isn’t as hard as it sounds since pajamas is a funny word and children’s book authors find all sorts of ways to put people and animals in them. Here are just a few of the fantastic options for bedtime tonight.
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Llama Llama Red Pajama
Available from:When you write about llamas, you’ve got to have at least one book in which they wear pajamas. It’s practically a moral imperative. In Anna Dewdney’s classic, a nervous llama has trouble going to sleep, but thank goodness he has an understanding mama who can make everything right.
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Pirates in Pajamas
Even pirates wear pajamas — and quite festive ones, at that. Captain Grotbeard and his crew aboard the Leaky Parrot love donning their favorite jim-jams at the end of a swashbuckling day. The silly rhymes will amuse your own sleepy pirates.
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Mother Goose's Pajama Party
A slumber party with characters from classic nursery rhymes? Yes, please! Everyone’s gathering at Mother Goose’s house in their finest sleepwear, including the cow that jumped over the moon. Best yet, each character’s nursery rhyme is collected in the back of the book.
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Pajama Party
Available from:This early reader captures the pure joy of a first pajama party with great friends. Of course, everyone wants to stay up all night, but will they be able to manage it after all the quintessential sleepover activities?
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Froggy's Sleepover
Available from:Froggy packs his red polka-dot pajamas for his very first sleepover at Max’s house. But when Froggy gets cold feet, the friends move the shindig back to his house — and then back to Max’s — and then ... well, you get the idea. Sleepovers can be a tricky adjustment, but wearing your favorite PJs always helps.
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Peeps in Pajamas
I never knew how much I wanted to see those cute little marshmallow Peeps in pajamas until I did. On top of the illustrations’ utter cuteness, the phrase “peeps in pajamas” is a fun one to read aloud. Get this one for Peeps season but enjoy it year-round.
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Llama Llama and the Lucky Pajamas
Available from:If your household fell in love with Llama Llama Red Pajama, there’s more where that came from. In this story — based on an episode from the hit Netflix series — Llama Llama has a streak of good luck and attributes it to his red pajamas ... and then refuses to wear anything else.
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Bedtime Bonnet
Available from:In Bedtime Bonnet, the young narrator introduces us to part of her family’s bedtime routine — “when the sun goes down, our hair goes up!” Of course, everyone has a different routine for their hairstyle. For our narrator, that routine often involves tracking down her missing bonnet, just in the nick of time.
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Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2016 and updated in 2021.