Peculiar Picks are a selection of odd, funny, interesting, curious, moving, irreverent, and otherwise wonderfully awesome, but perhaps not well known, reads. Peculiar Picks are books for younger readers and their grown-ups, handpicked by the Library's Youth Services Manager, Joshua Carlson.

The characters in these stories just want to get a good night’s sleep.

It’s Only Stanley by Jon Agee
Library Catalog / hoopla
The Wimbledon family is trying to sleep… Noises, smells, and more keep waking them up. It’s only their dog Stanley, doing increasingly strange things… but why is he doing them?

Good Night Owl by Greg Pizzoli
Library Catalog
Owl is trying to go to bed. Then he hears a noise. He investigates. The reader knows what the noise is, but Owl does not, and he goes to greater and greater over-the-top (dare I say insane? – there is almost something “Tell Tale Heart-ish” about it) lengths to determine the source.

CREAK! Said the Bed by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Regan Dunnick
Library Catalog
Momma and Poppa are sleeping. “SQUEAK, went the door” and in comes one of their children. And then another. And then the third. But the night is not done with them when their dog Fred wants to get into bed too. What will happen next? I love this book for storytime – be sure to help call attention to the cracking bed so that kids can try to figure out the surprise ending.

Yeti, Turn Out the Light! by Greg Long & Chris Edmunson, illustrated by Wednesday Kirwan
Library Catalog / hoopla
After a long day in the woods, dinner, brushing and flossing, Yeti is ready for sleep. However every time he turns out the light scarier and scarier shadows appear! What is in Yeti’s house!?

There’s a Dinosaur on the 13th Floor by Wade Bradford, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
Library Catalog
I also wrote about this title (it’s one of my favorite picture books) in an earlier Peculiar Picks. Poor Mr. Snore just wants a room to get a quiet night’s rest at the Sharemore Hotel, but the rooms all have peculiar guests.