Welcome to the Night-Time Train: Jump aboard for a sleepy bedtime ride

By Author / Illustrator

Louise Fitzgerald, illus Margarita Kukhtina

Genre

Picture Books

Age range(s)

Publisher

Nosy Crow

ISBN

9781805135623

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

11-09-2025

Synopsis

Get ready for a magical bedtime ride in this soothing story that helps children settle down to sleep. Perfect for fans of the Ten Minutes to Bed series, There's a Bear in Your Book and Goodnight Moon.

Join the adventures of these adorable baby animals as they ride the Night-Time Train and get ready for bed, stopping at some magical places along the way. At Pyjamaville, helpful birds will find the comfiest clothes, and at Toothbrush Town, a friendly octopus is waiting to brush everyone's teeth! Then curl up with a story at Library Land before the last stop of all . . . Starlight Skies, where your bed in the clouds awaits.

Reading this lyrical rhyming story to a child is a wonderful way to help them wind down, ready for sleep. Children will fall in love with Margarita Kukhtina's captivating artwork, and will enjoy spotting some familiar fairy tale characters along the way!

Find out more in ReadingZone's indepth Q&A with author Louise Fitzgerald

"Irresistible" - The Sunday Times on The Quickest Bedtime Story Ever, also by Louise Fitzgerald, illustrated by Kate Hindley.

Download Extract

Reviews

Jessica

Welcome to the Night-Time Train is a ride through a bedtime routine to settle your little ones down for sleep. This book is so cleverly written! Each time the train reaches the next stop, the destination is the next part of the bedtime routine. For example, after 'Toothbrush Town' we reach 'Library Land' where it's time to snuggle up for a story. The final destination is 'Starlight Skies' where we dream as we rest amongst the clouds.

The accompanying QR code tells the story with multiple sounds in the background, which help to relax the mind and body. For example, we hear the gentle chugging of the train and the chirpy cheep of the birds. The sound effects compliment the descriptive story language and onomatopoeic words perfectly.

The final pages are read with a soft and soothing voice ready to help our children drift off to sleep. Louise Fitzgerald has also written The Quickest Bedtime Story Ever which was the Sunday Times' best selling children's book of 2023, which is a hilarious take on the pre-bedtime preparations!

Picture book / Reviewed by Jessica Bunney, teacher

Stephanie

We LOVE this book! Gently paced with rhyming text, Welcome to the Night-Time Train is a warm picture book about getting ready for bed. Join the baby animals on the night time train visiting Pyjamaville, Toothbrush Town, Library Land and more as they slowly get ready for bedtime.

We've read this to my six-month-old several nights now and he loves it - it's a great length, and combined with a cuddle becomes the perfect wind-down story, explaining to really little ones all the steps we take before bedtime. Older ones will love reading along and spotting all the animals on each page. Highly recommend.

Picture book / Reviewed by Stephanie Gladdish