Gransnet forums

Health

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

(114 Posts)
StellaGransnet (GNHQ) Thu 18-Mar-21 10:12:23

We’ve been talking a lot about sleep (or the lack thereof!) this week, but we wanted today to take a trip down memory lane and have a good dose of nostalgia so… what was your favourite bedtime story as a child? If you have grandchildren, is it something you’ve been able to share with them too?

By posting on this thread you could win one of the fabulous spot prizes we have on offer this week - please see our Sleep Week page here for details of the prizes and for the T&Cs. Don’t forget - we’ll be picking 5 winners at random from threads across the week, so the more threads you post on, the more chance you have of winning!

Don’t forget to stay in touch. Sign up to our newsletter here.

Fairlyodd77 Fri 19-Mar-21 22:55:36

My favourite was dear zoo. Love books with flaps

boxfords Fri 19-Mar-21 23:30:20

I always liked being read the newspaper comic strips. Short enough that it happened every night no matter how busy my parents were.

lillyofthevalley Sat 20-Mar-21 09:44:54

I loved reading the Hobbit, and had wonderful imaginary thoughts of the Hobbit hole, the how the dwarfs looked, how ghastly Gollum would look and the dragon - I read this book over and over.
Before this up until the age of 7 or 8 I read books by Roald Dahl, the Witches being a favourite.

Sarandy Sat 20-Mar-21 10:11:12

No but I loved reading to myself, Narnia, Anne of Green and so many more!

Carado Sat 20-Mar-21 10:54:08

I had all Alison Uttley's 'Little Grey Rabbit' books. First my mum read them to me, until I learnt to read myself. Later I progressed through the many Enid Blyton series. I'm glad we had real books then, not screens!

pinktulips Sat 20-Mar-21 13:16:40

I loved Charlottes web as a child - and have my childhood copy complete with 'this book belongs to ........' in the preface.

grannyactivist Sat 20-Mar-21 13:28:52

We didn't live in the sort of family where children were read to and tucked into bed at night, but by the age of four I was regularly making up stories to tell to my sister and brothers at bedtime. I did it for years and my siblings always believed I would grow up to be a writer.

My own children always had a bedtime story - right up until when they left primary school. They are all avid readers except for the youngest who prefers audio books and they all read bedtime stories to their children.

annodomini Sat 20-Mar-21 13:56:08

Oh I completely forgot. My Dad read a book to me and my sister - The Wind on the Moon, by Eric Linklater, a fantasy tale, involving two sisters with whom my sister and I identified. I don't think anyone else has ever heard of it. It won the Carnegie medal in 1944, so my Dad must have bought it when it was first published.

HillyN Sat 20-Mar-21 16:05:39

My sister and I shared a bedroom and Mum always read us a bedtime story. Our favourite was the 'Heffalump' chapter from Winnie-the-Pooh, in particular the bit where Pooh says "Help, help, a horrible heffalump" then repeats it getting the words mixed up. Our poor Mum had to read it again and again! Eventually she made a rule that we had to have a different story every other night.
We had a little brightly coloured bookcase/cabinet between our beds, with lots of books, especially Enid Blyton, that mostly came from jumble sales. We also had a Noddy alarm clock.
Before going to sleep we always sang the last verse of 'Away in a manger' as a vesper. ('Be near me Lord Jesus...')

Kittyme1 Sat 20-Mar-21 22:24:34

I fondly remember dad would always recite bedtime stories to me when I was a child.

Curlywhirly Sun 21-Mar-21 08:49:46

Never had a bedtime story read to me, but my children's favourite was Peace at Last, a lovely little story about a bear trying to get to sleep in his noisy house.

montydoo Sun 21-Mar-21 10:48:47

Given to me by my father, the Jungle book, they are dated 1908 and 1913, and I loved them being read to me - they have pictures which is so lovely - my dad did the voices - I still have the books and they are one of my prized possessions.

timetogo2016 Sun 21-Mar-21 10:51:30

I loved Brer Rabbit,as did my 2 sons.