Do you remember your favourite bedtime story as a child? ?

I loved anything by Enid Blyton - Mr Pinkwhistle was a firm favourite - could NOT imagine todays children relating to these stories nowadays.

What a lovely idea for a topic. My grandfather used to tell me wonderful stories about India but sleeping was something I was never any good at and they got my imagination running, so he wisely decided to save them for better times of day! The same thing happened with his tales of Muckup the Monster which were much too funny for bedtime but splendid. Apart from those I never liked bedtime stories; I devoured books but for some reason preferred the way I heard them in my head. My poor Mum; she wanted to read to me so badly but could tell it made me fidgety no matter how I tried to hide it. She had the most beautiful voice and read so well - looking back it seems very strange and selfish that I preferred the inside of my own head to my mother. I've always felt dreadful about that as I was so lucky to have such a wonderful Mum. She loved giving me books though, and what wonderful ones there used to be. Racey Helps, Alison Uttley, and all the others people have mentioned. I still read E. Nesbitt, Lewis Carroll, etc. - all the children's classics - quite often. Probably I'm tremendously immature but they're so lovely. I feel very sorry for children today; the new books for them don't seem very interesting and they're on techno-thingies half the time anyway. Awfully glad I'm old.

I had a book sent to me from relatives in America about a naughty cat who got covered in tar and had to be washed with a hosepipe. On every page where there was a picture of the cat he had a patch of black furry material that I loved to touch. Also a book called Peter and his magic pebble,still have them both somewhere and I used to read them to the grandchildren when they were young. After a story it was always prayers which had to be done kneeling by the bed. Happy times.

I had a book of children's poems that was my favourite bedtime read. I also loved Hansel and Gretel.

We lived on a farm and my parents were always too busy to read a story but I shared a room with my older sister and she would make up great stories to tell me - she never seemed to mind that I went to sleep before she got to the end!

I love the Three Little pigs It was one of my favourites as a child and I read it to my Granddaughter every Friday night as she sleeps at mine.

My Mum made up stories for me. I wish we’d had the advantage of a voice recorder in those days. Then she sang (Daisy Daisy give me an answer do, Sweet Molly Malone and She Sailed Away on a lovely Summers Day usually!). Then she said the prayer ‘Gentle Jesus meek and mild, Look upon a little child, pity my simplicity, Suffer me to come to Thee’.
Lights out ?

I can’t remember ever being read to at home, or my parents ever reading themselves. As I grew up I was an avid reader as was my mother’s when she was older.. But I do remember at school the teacher reading a chapter of a book every day. My favourite was “Shadow the Sheepdog” which fuelled my longing for a dog.

The Wind in the Willows was my favourite story.

I don't ever recall having a bedtime story, or being tucked in at night. I only remember having one day out to the local beach and as an aunt and cousins were there I am sure it was at her instigation.. We never had a holiday. My mother was rather cold, found social occasions difficult and always critical, On reflection I believe she was depressed a lot of the time. My father was fun but bringing up us children (2of us) was mum's department.
My brother and I did things very differently. Our children were always read to and played with,
As a child I loved books and to this day I read at least 2 books per week.

As a child, my mother never read me stories, she would read to my younger sister but never to me.
As I learned to read, I would spend all my time with my nose in a book, my favourites being Enid Blyton's Famous Five mysteries.
My love of reading has never left me, I can read an average of 4 or 5 books in a week.

Strange that I don't remember being read to before bed although we had plenty of books so I guess we read ourselves.
The Famous Five series springs to mind.
I do remember mum coming in to tuck us tight into bed and turn off the light. To this day, I need to feel the security of tucked in blankets and sheets to be able to sleep. No duvets in our house!

Cinderella . I had two older sisters and I was convinced that they were the horrible ugly sisters. I remember being shocked and somewhat disappointed to discover that Mum hadn’t made up the story with me in mind for the eponymous beautiful, but put-upon , younger sister.

Also “Lost at the Fair”——-managed to get a copy to read to my GC all seven,still have it in my top drawer.

Mine was Cinderella a true fairytale I loved it.

didn't have bedtime stories.
but remember my older brother placing rubber biggy ears on my forehead, and saying how cooling it felt, the smooth soles of his boots.
and i was still and quiet, and felt it.
and he said, think how strong you are, you've had a man in his boots, standing on your head, and it didn't bother you at all.
and i remember that. and he wasn't a soppy or sentimental person at all; was rather sharp and self-centred, but i miss him.

ps @ LullyDully= She used to sing "Lulla Lulla Lulla " too.

This has brought back memories of my Mum telling me made-up stories about a little girl called Joan. Who was the same age as me and had all sorts of adventures. Mum used to sing to me too.
My own children loved the Faraway Tree books by Enid Blyton.

Nope, my mother never read to me but I adored reading and still do. I loved Enid Blyton and the Adventures of Mr. Pinkwhistle in particular. Later on I enjoyed Swallows and Amazons and What Katy Did which I received at school when I was 8 on Prizegiving Day. It was my pride and joy and I read it over and over again.

This post has made me realise I don’t ever remember being read to!

I never got read to before bed but I remember my mother bought me a book called 'the discontented pony' about a pony who ran away from his farm to join the fair and 'my naughty little sister' books which I loved.

I had a good laugh when I read the title of this thread, how very middle class.
We never had bedtime stories read to us, we just got chased up to bed, however I was a prolific reader so I did not miss out on stories.

I remember my mother reading to me when I was in bed with measles at age 5 or 6. The books were ones she must have had a a child. They were called “Hello, Girls” and were stories by the radio “Aunties”. I absolutely loved the stories which were often quite moralistic.

not an easy life granh2 . Nice that your mum made time to read to you during the day.

We didn't get bedtime stories. Dad was at the pub. Mum had seven children so no time for it.
She did find time to take me to the library regularly. I was the only one who loved reading and it must have taken some effort as the library was a half hour bus ride each way.

I think it was called ‘Snow White and Rose Red’. My dad read it every night for months. I can remember him sighing .