Buddy's Bedtime Battery

Buddy decides he is a robot at bedtime, so Robo-Mom and Robo-Dad power him down piece by piece — toes, arms, face — until he drifts off in his cuddle pod. Christina Geist wraps progressive muscle relaxation in just enough science-fiction silliness to make the technique feel like play rather than therapy, and Tim Bowers' illustrations keep Buddy's expressions front and center. The real strength here is giving parents a repeatable script that actually works. The honest caveat: it is essentially a one-trick concept, and once the novelty fades, its staying power as a re-read depends entirely on how much your toddler loves the robot bit. Worth the bedtime gamble.