Free bedtime stories for kids

156 illustrated bedtime stories for kids, free to read online — no account, no ads, and every one written to be read aloud. 173 stories.

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• The Longest Line2-3 min read · 12 pagesThe longest line, an Akbar and Birbal story to read aloud. Make this line shorter without touching it, says the emperor.
• The Lost Acorns and the Warmest Little Heart7-9 min read · 13 pagesDeep in a whispering wood lives Oliver, an owl as wise as he is kind, whom every creature trusts with their troubles.
• The Lost Egg5-6 min read · 14 pagesA dinosaur bedtime story: a downpour carries one egg out of the nest, and the big sister rolls it back uphill all afternoon.
• The Mirror That Never Lied6-8 min read · 14 pagesPrincess Isabella is loved across the kingdom for her kindness, and one morning she discovers a strange old mirror that shows each person who they truly are.
• The Monkey and the Crocodile5-7 min read · 14 pagesThe monkey and the crocodile, a Panchatantra tale to read aloud. They become friends over figs, and then the crocodile's wife wants something.
• The Monkey King and the Bridge4-6 min read · 13 pagesThe monkey king and the bridge, a Jataka tale to read aloud. Eighty thousand monkeys, one river, and a gap that has to be crossed somehow.
• The Muffin Man1-2 min read · 2 pagesDo you know the muffin man — the full words of the rhyme, the question and the answer, and the game that goes with it.
• The Night Santa Was Late5-7 min read · 14 pagesA christmas bedtime story: in one stairwell a boot stayed empty, and Santa only noticed once the sleigh was back in the barn.
• The Night the Meadow Woke with Stars6-8 min read · 11 pagesDeep in a storybook land lies Starlight Meadow, home to two dear friends: Alex, a kind-hearted rabbit, and Mia, a clever little mouse.
• The North Wind and the Sun4-6 min read · 13 pagesThe north wind and the sun, Aesop's fable to read aloud. They argue about who is stronger, and a man in a coat has to settle it.
• The Nutcracker10-12 min read · 16 pagesThe nutcracker and the mouse king by E. T. A. Hoffmann, to read aloud. A Christmas present that fights a battle on the parlour floor.
• The Ox Who Won the Forfeit3-4 min read · 13 pagesThe ox who won the forfeit, a Jataka tale to read aloud. He can pull a hundred carts, and the only thing that stops him is how he is asked.
• The Pearl of the Deep6-7 min read · 13 pagesFar below the waves, where coral towers and wild currents guard their secrets, lies the shimmering kingdom of Coralia.
• The Pied Piper of Hamelin8-10 min read · 18 pagesThe pied piper of Hamelin, the folk tale to read aloud. He clears the rats for an agreed price, and then the town decides not to pay it.
• The Purr Family and the Clock That Stopped the Night9-11 min read · 25 pagesIn an old house at the edge of town lives a family of night cats — the Purrs — and every one of them has a job to keep the dark hours calm and cozy.
• The Quilt That Remembers5-7 min read · 14 pagesImagine a quilt that holds more than warmth — it keeps the shine of a family's dearest memories.
• The Secret of the Vanishing Shoes5-7 min read · 14 pagesSomething strange is happening in Springville: every single morning, one shoe from a pair goes missing, and nobody can say why.
• The Secret of the Wishing Tree6-8 min read · 16 pagesWhen a magic forest begins to fade, a kind girl named Lily and her curious brother Finn set out to save it by waking the old tree whose magic keeps everything alive.
• The Snow Queen8-10 min read · 16 pagesThe snow queen by Hans Christian Andersen, to read aloud. A splinter of mirror gets into Kai's eye, and Gerda walks a very long way for him.
• 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.
• The Star Money6-8 min read · 16 pagesThe star money, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. A girl with nothing left but her shirt gives that away too, and then the sky opens.
• The Stick That Grew3-4 min read · 10 pagesThe stick that grew, an Akbar and Birbal story to read aloud. A necklace is stolen, and Birbal gives every servant a stick of the same length.
• The Talkative Tortoise4-6 min read · 12 pagesThe talkative tortoise, a Panchatantra tale to read aloud. Two geese carry him through the air on a stick, and he must not open his mouth.
• The Three Little Pigs7-9 min read · 16 pagesThe three little pigs, the folk tale to read aloud. Straw, sticks and bricks — and only one of the three took his time over it.
• The Town That Forgot Its Colors6-8 min read · 18 pagesIn a town where every house shone like a rainbow, neighbors of many colors, languages, and stories lived happily side by side.
• The Twelve Dancing Princesses7-9 min read · 16 pagesThe twelve dancing princesses, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. Their shoes are worn through every morning, and the doors were locked.
• The Twenty-Fifth Door5-7 min read · 14 pagesA christmas bedtime story: the calendar has twenty-four little doors, and Jonek is certain he saw one more at the bottom right.
• The Ugly Duckling7-9 min read · 16 pagesThe ugly duckling by Hans Christian Andersen, to read aloud. He is too big, too grey and wrong all over, and he is not a duck at all.
• The Valiant Little Tailor8-10 min read · 16 pagesThe valiant little tailor, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. He kills seven flies at once, and then lets everybody guess what he means by it.
• The Wild Swans7-9 min read · 16 pagesThe wild swans by Hans Christian Andersen, to read aloud. Eleven brothers turned into birds, and a sister who must not speak a word.
• The Wisest Answer3-4 min read · 10 pagesThe wisest answer, an Akbar and Birbal story to read aloud. The emperor asks four impossible questions and gets four short replies.
• The Wishing Table8-10 min read · 16 pagesThe wishing table, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. A table that lays itself, a goat that makes gold, and a sack nobody should open.
• The Wizard of Oz10-12 min read · 20 pagesThe Wizard of Oz, retold for reading aloud. A cyclone, a road of yellow brick, and three companions who already have what they are going to ask for.
• The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids7-9 min read · 16 pagesThe wolf and the seven little kids, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. Their mother tells them how to know him, and he changes both things.
• The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing6-8 min read · 13 pagesThe wolf in sheep's clothing, Aesop's fable to read aloud. The fleece changes what the shepherd sees, and nothing else about him at all.
• The Wonderful Journey of Bread6-8 min read · 10 pagesHave you ever wondered how bread finds its way to your table?
• Theo the Rabbit and the Fox Who Thought He Was Clever7-8 min read · 15 pagesTheo is the cleverest rabbit in the whole forest, famous for hopping out of every tight spot with a quick idea and a kind heart.
• This Little Piggy1-2 min read · 2 pagesThis little piggy went to market — the full words of the toe-counting rhyme, and what to do with a child's foot while you say it.
• Thomas and the Warmest Blankets8-10 min read · 18 pagesDeep in the heart of the woods, under a wide old oak, lives a little mouse named Thomas — a tiny maker with an enormous heart.
• Three Blind Mice1-2 min read · 2 pagesThree blind mice — the full words of the round, and a warning that the third verse is grimmer than the tune suggests.