Long bedtime stories

Long bedtime stories for the evenings when there is time: sixteen pages, eight to ten minutes, several characters and a plot that turns.

66 stories

Alice in Wonderland10-12 min read · 20 pagesAlice in Wonderland, retold for reading aloud. A girl follows a rabbit with a pocket watch and lands somewhere the rules keep changing.
Beauty and the Beast8-10 min read · 16 pagesBeauty and the Beast, retold for reading aloud. A rose picked in the wrong garden, a bargain kept, and a question asked every single evening.
Bella and the Golden Acorn5-6 min read · 17 pagesDeep in the whispering woods lives Bella, a little squirrel with a big, brave heart and a nose for adventure.
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.
Bruno the Bear and the Honey Machine7-9 min read · 18 pagesDeep in the woods lived Bruno, a clever bear who loved to build. When he saw how hard his friends the bees worked, he invented something wonderful to help them — but even the best ideas can go wrong.
Cinderella8-10 min read · 16 pagesCinderella, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. No fairy godmother here — what helps her grows on her mother's grave.
Fifi and the Wishing Cookies10-12 min read · 29 pagesDeep in an enchanted forest lives Fifi, a little fox who bakes cookies that grant wishes — or so everyone believes. But is the magic really hidden in the recipe?
Flake the Snowman and the Carrot He Couldn't Keep6-8 min read · 16 pagesIn a cozy, snow-tucked backyard lives Flake, a snowman who is very, very proud of the brightest carrot nose in the whole wide world.
Frau Holle7-9 min read · 16 pagesFrau Holle, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. A girl falls down a well into another country, where shaking the beds makes it snow.
Hansel and Gretel8-10 min read · 16 pagesHansel and Gretel, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. The breadcrumbs do not work, and the house in the clearing is made of sugar.
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.
Jack and the Beanstalk7-9 min read · 16 pagesJack and the beanstalk, the English folk tale to read aloud. He sells the cow for five beans, and by morning one of them has gone up.
Lark, the Little Sparrow with the Great Big Heart7-9 min read · 19 pagesLark is the smallest sparrow in the whole wide wood, but nobody has ever had a braver heart or a busier, more curious head.
Larry the Cat and the Little Star Lanterns8-10 min read · 19 pagesEvery night, Larry the cat sets off on his own special journey, hanging tiny star lanterns to fill the forest with warmth and calm. Beneath their glow, the little animals drift safely to sleep.
Leo and the Star Guest6-8 min read · 20 pagesLeo is a boy with a heart full of stars and a head full of questions about space.
Lina, the Sheep Who Wandered8-10 min read · 18 pagesIn a green valley where everyone follows the same worn path, a little sheep named Lina chooses her own way.
Little Red Riding Hood7-9 min read · 16 pagesLittle Red Riding Hood, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. She is told to keep to the path, and the wolf asks where she is going.
Marcus the Cat and the Golden Brush7-9 min read · 19 pagesIn a snug little village tucked among the green hills lives a most unusual cat named Marcus, who loves nothing more than to paint.
Mia the Monkey and the Magic of Clean Hands8-10 min read · 18 pagesDeep in the jungle, every day is an adventure — especially when a cheeky little monkey named Mia is around! But one afternoon, her favorite banana almost caused a whole heap of trouble.
Nix the Astro-Hamster10-12 min read · 23 pagesIn a world where hamsters don't just nibble carrots but chart the stars, one small engineer named Nix dreams enormous dreams.
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.
Pinocchio6-8 min read · 16 pagesPinocchio, the tale by Carlo Collodi to read aloud. A puppet who runs off on the first day, and a nose that gives him away every time.
Puss in Boots7-9 min read · 16 pagesPuss in boots, the folk tale to read aloud. A miller's son inherits a cat, and the cat asks him for a pair of boots and a sack.
Rapunzel6-8 min read · 16 pagesRapunzel, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. A tower with no stairs and no door, and a plait of hair long enough to climb.
Rumpelstiltskin7-9 min read · 16 pagesRumpelstiltskin, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. He spins straw into gold three nights running, and the third time he names his price.
Sleeping Beauty7-9 min read · 16 pagesSleeping Beauty, or Briar Rose, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. Every spindle in the kingdom is burned, and one is missed.
Snow White8-10 min read · 16 pagesSnow White and the seven dwarfs, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. A mirror gives the same answer every day, until one day it does not.
Snow White and Rose Red7-9 min read · 15 pagesSnow White and Rose Red, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. A bear knocks at the door in winter and asks to sleep by the fire.
The Bamboo That Glowed6-8 min read · 16 pagesDeep in a whispering bamboo forest lives Muffin, a curious little panda who loves nothing more than a good mystery.
The Bremen Town Musicians7-9 min read · 16 pagesThe Bremen town musicians, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. Four animals too old to be useful set off to become a band, and never arrive.
The Bridge That Held Our Hearts6-8 min read · 19 pagesIn a green valley split by a wild, rushing river, two villages lived side by side yet stayed strangers for years.
The Compass That Chose a Kind Heart8-10 min read · 18 pagesKai never expected a school trip to a crumbly old lighthouse to change everything.
The Emperor's New Clothes7-9 min read · 16 pagesThe emperor's new clothes by Hans Christian Andersen, to read aloud. Two weavers sell him a cloth that only clever people can see.
The Fisherman and His Wife6-8 min read · 16 pagesThe fisherman and his wife, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. The flounder grants what she asks for, and she keeps finding something else.
The Four Friends6-8 min read · 16 pagesThe four friends, a Panchatantra tale to read aloud. A crow, a mouse, a tortoise and a deer, and the net that none of them could open alone.
The Frog King7-9 min read · 16 pagesThe frog king, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. He fetches her gold ball out of the well, and she promised him rather a lot for it.
The Golden Goose7-9 min read · 16 pagesThe golden goose, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. Everyone who grabs at it sticks fast, and the line behind it gets longer.
The Grandfather Clock That Kept the Peace6-8 min read · 16 pagesIn one big, loving family, the days were full of laughter, warm bread, and the happy noise of people who belong together — though even the best families squabble now and then.
The Jungle Book10-12 min read · 17 pagesThe Jungle Book, retold for reading aloud. A boy raised by wolves, taught by a bear and a black panther, and hunted by a tiger who never forgot him.
The Lake That Held the Light6-8 min read · 19 pagesLeo the lion cub and Mia the mouse are the best of friends, and one golden morning they set off to find a lake that everyone says can grant a wish.

Long here means fifteen pages or more — five to twelve minutes read aloud without hurrying, most of them around nine. That is enough room for more than one character to want something, and for the middle to go wrong before it comes right.

These are the fullest stories on the site. If the evening is short, the five-minute section has whole stories that really do end in five minutes; cutting a long one in half is worse than either, because the child is left without the ending.

Frequently asked

How long is long, in minutes?

Five to twelve minutes at an unhurried pace, most of them around nine. Each title shows its own reading time, so you can pick by the clock.

What age?

From about five or six. A three-year-old will not hold fifteen pages or more, and stopping halfway costs more than starting something shorter.

Want to know where the classic fairy tales come from? The articles are here

Long bedtime stories

Frequently asked

By topic