MarytaleStories for 3rd graders
Third grade is where a child will finish a story alone if the first two pages hold. These are the longest here, with more than one thread running at a time and a hero who is wrong for a while before being right.
Ten to twelve minutes read aloud, or one sitting alone. Read the first two pages together and then hand the book over — that hands over the story, not just the reading.
6 stories
Bella and the One Golden Wish7-9 min read · 20 pagesDeep in a green and singing forest lives a little squirrel named Bella — quick, kind, and always ready for a new discovery.
Henry Mole's Underground Railway7-9 min read · 15 pagesHenry is a small mole with bright, curious eyes who loves nothing more than exploring the hidden paths beneath his forest.
Oscar the Hare and the Silver Watch9-11 min read · 21 pagesDeep in a forest where the treetops brush the clouds lives Oscar, the fastest hare anyone has ever seen — and his most precious treasure is a little silver pocket watch that ticks along with every dash he takes.
The Library of Forgotten Dreams7-9 min read · 17 pagesNina is a girl with a heart full of pictures — she draws her dreams in the margins of her notebooks and imagines faraway worlds.
The Squirrel Who Kept the Stars6-7 min read · 17 pagesHigh in a whispering pine forest lives Sonya, a little squirrel who loves nothing more than the glitter of the night sky.
Zippy and the Summer He Dreamed Of7-9 min read · 20 pagesOn the snowy shores of Antarctica lives a little penguin named Zippy, a dreamer who longs to know the world beyond the ice.
By age
Want to know where these stories come from? The articles are here
Frequently asked
- Are these still bedtime stories?
- Yes, and they are the longest — ten to twelve minutes. If bedtime is tight, the five-minute section has whole stories that really finish in five.
- My child reads these alone. What is left for me?
- The first two pages and the last one. Starting together gets a child in; being there at the end is when they want to talk about it.