Bedtime stories with pictures for toddlers
Picture Books | Bedtime Stories
Skip to content
Looking for books to read to kids? Enjoy our HUGE collection of free picture books for children, here at Storyberries!
5 Min Stories Age 0-3 Age 4-6 All Animals Bedtime Christmas Stories Meditations Mindfulness Picture Books Picture Books Seasons Sleep and Bedtime Stories Winter and Snow
A guided meditation for children about being warm and cosy, while the world is cold outside. A tranquil bedtime story to initiate sweet dreams...
5 Min Stories Age 4-6 All Early Readers Early Readers Learning Picture Books Picture Books Reading Sleep and Bedtime Stories Toys
Stripy Elephant and his friends have a BIG problem... they never hear the end of the bedtime story! So Stripy Elephant decides he will learn to read. ..
5 Min Stories Age 4-6 Age 7-12 All Animals Picture Books Picture Books Unicorns
Jaydee finds a unicorn in the garden one day. But will Mummy and Daddy believe her?!
5 Min Stories Age 7-12 All Cats Friends Halloween Picture Books Picture Books
Leah, Emmie and Tim are going trick-or-treating... but they don't count on encountering some spooky Halloween cats!
5 Min Stories Age 4-6 All Animals Environment Gardens Insects Mindfulness Picture Books Picture Books
One day Mr Barry decides to throw out his old sofa, Darla.
But before he knows it, a whole community of friends pops up!
5 Min Stories Age 7-12 All All Fairy Tales Animals Fairy Tales Fairy Tales Feel Good Fairy Tales Modern Fairy Tales Picture Books Picture Books
The people of Hamelin are happy. Until one day, a horde of multicoloured butterflies descend upon the town.
5 Min Stories Age 0-3 All Animals Baby Books Birthdays Friends Picture Books Picture Books Rhyming Stories
Koah Koala is having his first birthday! He's about to discover how fun it is to be One!
5 Min Stories Age 7-12 All Picture Books Picture Books Reading
Veronica Peach loves crazy hats, silly voices and BOOKS! One day, she decides to ride around town on her flashy racing bike, reading stories to children.
..
5 Min Stories Age 4-6 All Animals Dogs Feelings and Emotions Friends Picture Books Picture Books Senses
Baxter the Puppy loses his beloved Oliver in Paris. He will have to follow his nose to find him!
More 5 Min Bedtime Stories for Kids ~ Read to Me
5 min Bedtime Stories
The Ram, the Pig and the Big Bad Wolf ~ Learn to Read English Story
A Bedtime English Story for Kids. The animals want to build their own house in the woods- but what about the big bad wolf?
A Caterpillar’s Voice ~ Bedtime English Story for Kids
Who is in the hare’s cave? A big voice!
A Spider & Robert the Bruce ~ Learn to Read with English Stories for Kids
An English Story for Kids Learning to Read.
A defeated Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, is inspired by a spider. (from Scotland)
The Apple Dumpling Story ~ Learn to Read
A Bedtime Story in Simple English for Kids. An old woman’s search for an apple dumpling leads her to generous trades. A story of Gratitude and Kindness.
Weighing the Elephant ~ Learn to Read with English Stories for Kids
A Chinese Riddle Tale in English for Kids Learning to Read. A Chinese king is amazed by the gift of an elephant- but how to weigh it?
Fur and Feathers ~ 5 Min Bedtime Stories for Kids
When Mama Lion kidnaps 2 ostrich chicks , who will dare to object?
A Donkey to Market ~ Learn to Read with English Stories for Kids
A Bedtime Story in Simple English for Kids. How to best take their donkey to market? Everyone weighs in.
The Empty Pot ~ Learn to Read with English Stories for Kids
An English Story for Kids Learning to Read. The boy who grows the finest plant will be emperor, but Jun’s seed does not sprout.
Favorite Bedtime Stories
The Frog Prince: The Story of the Princess and the Frog ~ Bedtime Stories
The classic Brother’s Grimm fairytale that sparked the Disney adaptation.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Story ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids
The Classic Fairytale Story of Snow White with a Modern Twist: Who is the “fair”est of them all? Snow White of course!
Pocahontas and John Smith Story ~ Folktales Stories for Kids
A Bedtime Story of Friendship, Courage and Acceptance. . The story tells of the time Pocahontas saved the life of settler John Smith from her father, Powhatan.
Maui from Moana: Tales of the Demi-God ~ Legend Stories for Kids
This is the Legend Tale of Maui the Demi-God from Moana. It is part of our Classic Bedtime Stories for Kids Collection. It has been adapted from the Tales of Maui as well as Disney’s version of Moana.
The Little Mermaid Story ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids in English
A Story of Courage, Learning and Love.
The Classic fairy tale: The Little Mermaid falls in love with a prince on shore and she makes a deal with the Sea Witch to become human. But without her voice, how can the prince fall in love with her?
The Ugly Duckling Story ~ Fairy Tale Story for Kids in English
A Bedtime Story of Acceptance and Self-Awareness. A Mama Duck is proud when her six ducklings hatch from their eggs. But one duckling does not look like the others? Is he truly an Ugly Duckling?
Pinocchio Story ~ Fairy Tale Bedtime Stories in English for Kids
A Bedtime Story of Honesty, Courage and Truth. If Pinocchio is to become a Real boy he needs to learn how to be honest, brave and true.
A Cinderella Story ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids
The Classic fairytale of Cinderella: a young girl, mistreated by her step-mother and step-sisters, who finds out that dreams really can come true.
Rumpelstiltskin ~ A Fairy Tale Bedtime Story for Kids
A Grimm’s Brother Tale: A miller tells a tale that his daughter can turn straw into gold.
A strange little man is willing to help…for a price. Guess his name and he will be gone…but what is his name?
The Snow Queen Fairy Tale Story ~Bedtime Story for Kids
The Classic Tale of the Snow Queen: Gerda and Kai struggle to fight the Snow Queen and find the balance between Good and Evil.
Sharing a bedtime story with your children is storytelling in its most purest form. It's an opportunity to not just share a simple bedtime story to be forgotten, but passing on a lifetime of lessons from those who came before us.
Share our Bedtime Stories and Classic fairy tales in a nightly ritual of learning. While a bedtime story might be seen as something to rush through in order to get to the quickest inevitable conclusion, a much needed rest for a busy child, it can be the most magical moment of the day. Taking that child to a world of discovery through a story will surely leave a lasting impression.
Bedtime Stories from Stories to Grow by:Above you will find some of our favorites! Short Stories for kids online that are perfect as bedtime stories or anytime stories.
With Themes of Cooperation, Friendship, Kindness, and a little magic, these short bedtime stories for kids are sure to please your little one as they drift off into pleasant dreams. What better way to teach morals then through magical short stories which entwines the message within the confines of the tale.
Leave a lasting impression and share a special moment with your child through a storytelling experience they will treasure forever. We hope you enjoy our Classic Fairy Tales shared as a Bedtime Story.
Our entire collection of Stories for Kids also make wonderful Bedtime Stories! Our children's stories come from Folktales (or folk tales), stories that have been shared from generation to generation by word of mouth, from all over the world.
These children's stories consist of Animal tales, Riddles Stories, Myths and Legends,from all over the world! Our stories for kids are Kid-tested, Multicultural and feature positive Moral messages to leave a lasting impression on the children in your lives! They also make wonderful themed Moral Stories for Kids in the classroom and at home.
Share our Short Stories for Kids with those in your life.
Mowgli A fairy tale with pictures » For children and parents
A long time ago, a tiger named Shere Khan lived in the jungle. Everyone was afraid of him - he was cruel and spared no one.
On the day this story began, the smell of prey brought him to the river bank. Making his way through the thickets, he saw a crying child. "A man-cub!" exclaimed Shere Khan. nine0004
But just as he was about to pounce on the child, three angry wolves blocked his way. "One more step, Shere Khan, and you will die," they said. "This is our territory. Get out!" With three wolves, the tiger could not cope and he retreated, vowing revenge. Meanwhile, the wolves were looking at the child. "Poor thing! He'll die alone in the jungle!" - said the mother wolf. Turning to the other wolves, she added: "I would gladly take him into my family."
Adopting a human cub is not easy - such decisions are not made overnight.
Each wolf had to express his opinion at the Great Council of the Wolf Pack. At night, when the full moon was over the jungle, the whole Flock gathered on Council Rock. In addition to wolves, there were Bagheera the panther and Baloo the brown bear. He spoke first: "I agree that the human cub stays with us. It will not harm anyone." nine0004
"Be careful!" Bagheera said. "What if he cheats on us later? When he grows up, he can return to the people and bring them here to hunt us." - "We need to make him love us," answered the mother wolf. "I will take it upon myself." "I'm in favor". So, the Great Council decided to accept a human cub into the Pack. The mother wolf gave him the name Mowgli.
Several years passed. The mother wolf could be proud of her adoptive. Mowgli grew up with the cubs - he became smart and strong and loved wolves like his brothers, but he was terribly curious and wandered through the jungle, unaware of the danger that lurks at every step.
“If you stumble upon Shere Khan, you will not be in trouble.” “But I have you, Bagheera,” replied Mowgli. “What should I be afraid of?”
"Monkeys are not your friends," Baloo told him. As soon as he said this, a monkey appeared among the branches. She plucked a coconut and threw it straight at Baloo's head - bang! In a moment there was no trace of her, and Mowgli could not help laughing.
The next day the monkeys reappeared. Now there were a whole bunch of them. They came to Mowgli. "Come with us," they told him, "you'll like it here. Do you want to visit our palace?" Mowgli thought - doubts overcame him: "What if Baloo is right, and this is a trap?" But curiosity turned out to be stronger - after all, to visit the ruins of an ancient Indian city where monkeys lived was his old dream. And, forgetting the instructions of Baloo, he set off. nine0004
Noticing the disappearance of Mowgli, Baloo immediately guessed that the monkeys still managed to lure the boy into their lair.
The bear rushed to look for Bagheera. "Together, - said the panther, - we can not cope with them. There are too many monkeys. I see only one way out - to ask for help from Kaa." Kaa was a huge snake - a boa constrictor. He was terribly voracious and climbed trees like monkeys, so they were mortally afraid of him. Kaa, without hesitation, agreed to help Bagheera and Baloo.
They found Mowgli in a deep snake pit at the entrance to an ancient Indian city. "The monkeys deceived me," Mowgli complained. "I'm hungry and bruised. They wanted to make me their slave and threw me here." Cobras writhed at his feet. "I'm already tired of fighting off this poisonous people," he added, throwing another cobra away. "I'll deal with them," said Bagheera. "But we must hurry before the monkeys gather their strength." nine0005
"That's my concern," said Kaa. And then a terrible fight began. Mowgli's friends turned out to be stronger. Only flight could save the monkeys. But they had only two options for this: either jump into the water, where Bagheera was waiting for them, baring their terrible fangs, or trying to slip past Kaa, who opened his terrible mouth.
Few of the monkeys managed to escape the jaws of a huge boa constrictor.
So Mowgli was saved. The excitement has been left behind. "Well," said Bagheera, "I hope the lesson will do you good this time. Just think how much trouble you've given us three!" Ashamed, Mowgli lowered his eyes. But Kaa, who knew nothing about moralizing, objected: "Ah, in my opinion, everything was just right. We had a good time - I'm satisfied. And my stomach, even more so." - "Thank you, glorious Kaa," said Mowgli. "I will never forget this." nine0005
Bad news awaited Mowgli in the Wolf Pack. Old Shere Khan reappeared in these places. But even worse was that he managed to sow discord among the wolves. The old wolves were on the side of Mowgli, but the young ones believed that he should leave the jungle and return to the people. They did not know that Shere Khan wanted to tear Mowgli to pieces at the first opportunity.
But Bagheera knew that. And she suggested to Mowgli what to do: "Go to the people and do not return until you get the Red Flower!" In the language of animals, fire is called the Red Flower - only this formidable weapon could scare off Shere Khan.
With the onset of night, Mowgli went to the village. There, unnoticed by anyone, he obtained a whole pot of burning coals and brought them into the jungle. nine0004
Mowgli summoned Shere Khan to the Great Pack Council. Raising the burning torch high, he called out to him: "Sher Khan, I'm not afraid of you! Get away and remember: next time I will come to the Grand Council with your skin!" The tiger took to flight. But this did not reconcile the wolves, on the contrary, it became another reason for contention between the old and the young. And then Mowgli decided to go to the people.
At first life in the village amused Mowgli. Never before had he heard so many ridiculous stories about the jungle and the animals that lived there. At first, he tried to dispel human delusions, talked about the secrets of the forest, about how wolves raised him. But no one believed him, and, in despair, he fell silent. More and more often he dreamed of returning to the jungle. Separation from friends and mother-wolf was hard for him.
nine0005
People assigned him to herd a herd of buffaloes. Mowgli took advantage of this and drove the animals to the very edge of the pasture, where the jungle began. There he once met two young wolves. "You were right," they told him.
So Mowgli realized that he could return to the jungle, to the life he loved. "Call Shere Khan here," he suggested to the wolves. "Tell him that I'm alone, and that he can easily devour me. And I'll take care of our meeting." The wolves exactly fulfilled his request. In less than a day, a tiger appeared at the edge of the forest. Deciding that Mowgli was really defenseless, the tiger prepared to jump, but the boy launched a herd of buffaloes right at him. nine0005
Confused, Shere Khan ran away, and Mowgli, with loud cries, chased his buffaloes after him. The tiger was agile and fast, but obstacles interfered with it - large boulders, fallen trees ... But nothing interfered with the buffaloes - they rushed ahead. Shere Khan was doomed.
The herd overtook him and trampled him. Shere Khan was dead and the kites were already flocking to him. There was nothing left of him, except for the skin and eyes bulging in deathly horror.
Mowgli returned to his Pack as a real hero. Bagheera, Baloo and the wolf brothers were proud of him, and this filled his heart with happiness. On the day of his great victory, he vowed never to leave the jungle again. nine0004
Translation by Alina Kuberskaya, artist V. Gul
END
Bedtime stories for children. ⭐😴Read online with pictures.
In this section we have collected interesting fairy tales from all over the world that are suitable for reading before bed. You can read them online and completely free. These small instructive and kind stories will help children calm down after a stormy day and tune in to rest.
In bedtime stories you will not find cruelty and frightening characters. Only light plots and pleasant characters.
nine0083 At the bottom of each fairy tale there is a hint for what age it is intended for, as well as other tags. Be sure to pay attention to them when choosing a product! You do not have to spend time reading a fairy tale to find out if it suits your child or not. We have already read everything, sorted and compiled short descriptions of fairy tales.
Enjoy reading and good dreams :)
An interesting fairy tale is that part of childhood that stays with us forever, even when childhood is gone. This is a magical world that is wide open in front of the baby, and acquaintance with it begins with a short and sweet bedtime story. nine0005
At what age to read fairy tales to a child
There is no strict age limit in reading fairy tales to a child. Reading for a child is primarily an opportunity for emotional intimacy with an adult. Even if not a word is clear yet, the familiar timbre of the voice, the measured rhythm soothe the baby and stimulate its development. That is why psychologists recommend reading fairy tales even to babies.
The main condition: the process should bring pleasure to both the adult and the baby.
The benefits of reading fairy tales
A bedtime story read by a parent is a powerful stimulus for the development of the child, the child has wide opportunities in the following areas:
- imagination;
- fantasy;
- creative thinking;
- speech skills;
- emotional development;
- the ability to find a way out of problem situations.
Unlike cartoons, a fairy tale does not present the child with ready-made images and the world invented by the artist, but invites him to think, think out and imagine what is not in the illustrations. nine0005
Simply put, we read to children at night and at the same time unleash their creativity. The next step is the first children's tests of themselves as an author and artist, but that will come later. And now such familiar and at the same time amazing short bedtime stories come to the aid of parents.
Bedtime stories - what should they be?
It often happens that every day a baby asks for the hundredth time to read a familiar fairy tale to him, not wanting to listen to any others.
Do not argue and try to read something new - a bedtime story exists for this, to cradle and give pleasant dreams. So, it should be:
- short;
- calm;
- kind;
- without dynamic details in the plot, but with a happy ending.
The repeated repetition of the same situation (a familiar room, a favorite blanket and a soft toy, next to it is a mother reading a familiar fairy tale) turns into a kind of ritual for the baby, which has a calming effect. It helps relieve the emotional stress that has accumulated over a long day. nine0005
Short tales on our website
The Short Bedtime Stories section presents famous works by Russian and foreign authors that have become favorites for children all over the world.
Magic men created by Astrid Lindgren, Donald Bisset's kind tigers, Sergey Kozlov's inseparable Hedgehog and Bear cub - these and other characters are looking forward to meeting young readers.
Here you will also find folk tales and illustrated works by Vladimir Suteev. Kids will be delighted with simple instructive stories and colorful pictures created by a real Master. nine0005
Tips on the site
The free bedtime stories presented on our site are so diverse that sometimes it can be difficult to find the right one. To help parents, we have developed a convenient search engine that allows you to view the parameters of a fairy tale without opening it:
- readers' age;
- reading time;
- short description;
- popularity indicator;
- illustration.
Secrets of reading bedtime stories
In order to replace an evening fairy tale with a sweet dream, it should be a short fairy tale, which should be read online in a calm and familiar environment.
Read in a low voice, without haste. Remember, we read to children at night not to give them new knowledge - there is daytime for this. In the evening, it is important to create a relaxing atmosphere and a sense of peace.
