Chances are that you already know all about In The Night Garden, which means you and your tot will love reading the In The Night Garden children's books inspired by the show.
If you don't, the popular kid's TV show is about a magical picture-book place that exists between waking and sleeping in a child’s imagination. It's inhabited by a diverse bunch of loveable characters including Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka.
Best In The Night Garden books at a glance:
• Best book collection: In the Night Garden: Little Learning Library – Buy now from Amazon
• Best interactive book: In the Night Garden: Everybody Loves the Pinky Ponk! – Buy now from Amazon
• Best for learning numbers: In the Night Garden: 123 – Buy now from Amazon
As well as introducing imaginative play and early language acquisition, the show helps little ones to understand routine, with each episode showing the characters going to bed at the very end of the programme. For many families, In The Night Garden is an ideal watch before bedtime.
While they might not be considered classic children's books, there are many In The Night Garden books they're bound to love too as well. Just like the show, why not introduce them before bedtime? Just don't blame us if they want you to read them this popular baby book over and over again...
Best book collection
Description
This set of In the Night Garden: Little Learning Library books is ideal for younger readers. Inside you'll find four small chunky board books easy for little hands to hold with pages that won't tear easily, that are full of In The Night Garden fun, with lots of bold colours and playful text that they can follow along with.
Review: "My 18 month old great grandson loves turning the easy to grab pages and pointing to the colourful pictures. He's picking up the names and sounds as well. Highly recommended."
Best for your bedtime routine
Description
It's almost time for bed in the Night Garden, but first Igglepiggle wants to say goodnight to all his friends. Join Igglepiggle as he gives all his friends a hug.
Review: "Perfect for Night Garden fans bed time stories and robust enough for little hands to look through and play with themselves."
Best interactive book
Description
Take a flight on the Pinky Ponk with the Night Garden friends. Your child will love using the big tabs to turn the pages and pressing the sound buttons to hear all the funny noises.
Review: "I adore this book. Daughter has just started getting into In The Night Garden and this book has great pictures and sounds. The Makka Pakka sound is my favourite and I can’t stop playing it! I like the creaking of the Pinky Ponk too!"
Best for Upsy Daisy fans
Description
Upsy Daisy's having fun dancing, and she's not ready to go to bed yet. In this book your child can play with Upsy Daisy in the garden, and then settle down to sleep as she does the same.
Review: "My daughter loves this book. The quality is really good and keeps her entertained for a whole 5 minutes! Jokes aside, really impressed with this book."
Best flap book
Description
It's Igglepiggle's birthday! But where is his present? In this read, your child can lift the big flaps and help Igglepiggle find his special birthday present.
Review: "My son is a fan of the show so loved this simple lift the flap book with all the characters in it."
The best gift
Description
This sturdy box fits perfectly around a set of nine chunky little board books, all featuring the best-loved Night Garden characters.
Review: "I bought these for my 2.5 year old son and he loves them. The box is sturdy and looks great. Would make a lovely gift for any night garden fan."
Best for bright colours
Description
Igglepiggle, iggle onk, we're going to catch the...Ninky Nonk! Once upon a time in the Night Garden, everybody went for a ride on the Ninky Nonk.
Review: "This book is all about the Ninky Nonk and as it is a firm favourite with my little ones it was a huge hit. There isn’t much to the story, but the bright colourful pages are more of a talking point. Currently we are reading this book several times a day!"
Best for travel
Description
The perfect book for your youngster to snuggle up with before bed, in this beautifully illustrated treasury of tales the friends play hide-and-seek with the Pontipines, search for Igglepiggle's blanket and work out why Makka Pakka's trumpet is making such a funny noise.
Review: "Great book with lots of stories to get through but thin pages so younger children definitely need a bit more supervision, don’t just leave it lying around as it will get torn. Otherwise we love it!"
Best for little ones who like to read-a-long with you
Description
Once upon a time in the Night Garden, everyone was trying to call to the Tombliboos to play their music nice and quiet. Can the teeny tiny Pontipine children help?
Review: "This is another in a selection of Night Garden books I bought for my grandson at Christmas. These are good solid books with bright pictures and stories just long enough to keep his attention."
Best for learning numbers
Description
Introduce numbers and counting to your tot with this chunky Night Garden board book with simple text and bright, vibrant colours.
Review: "Great book that helps my two year olds be interested in learning number through their favourite characters in "in the night garden". A hard book that will take the brutal nature of toddlers, drips are food stains are easily wiped and the pages are easy for my toddlers to turn too!"
Best for Christmas Eve
Description
A festive read ideal for Christmas time, everybody in the (snowy!) Night Garden loves Christmas! Igglepiggle and his friends tell you and your child all of their favourite things about Christmas time.
Review: "Nice little book for my Iggle Piggle obsessed little boy’s Christmas eve box! Simple little story with lots of colourful pictures, perfect!"
What age is In The Night Garden aimed at?
According to the BBC, In The Night Garden is a series aimed at pre-schoolers aged one to six, but of course there's nothing wrong with reading these books to kids who are older than that.
Is In The Night Garden good to read before bed?
While it might seem a little chaotic and crazy to watch as adults, In The Night Garden is actually designed to help children relax and feel calm before bed.
The stories are full of repetition, which children find calming and relaxing. From the bedtime routine to the rhymes and language and familiar characters, little ones know what to expect which makes them relaxed before bedtime.
Emily Gilbert is the Features & Reviews Editor for Mother&Baby and has written for the website and previously the magazine for six years. Specialising in product reviews, Emily is the first to know about all the exciting new releases in the parenting industry.