Read-aloud library
Free bedtime stories for kids
A growing library of calm, original bedtime stories you can read aloud tonight, with no sign-up. Every story is gentle from the first line to the last, with a quiet ending meant to send a child off to sleep. Pick an age and a theme below, and check the read-aloud time to match your evening.
Age
Theme
Showing 28 of 28 stories
Little Bear Says Goodnight
Little Bear says goodnight to everything in the cave, one cozy thing at a time.
About 2 minutes to read aloud Space & Stars · Ages 2-3The Moon Tucks In the Town
The friendly moon rises over a small town and tucks in every roof, window and sleepy street.
About 2 minutes to read aloud Animals · Ages 2-3Pip the Duckling and the Puddle Boat
After a spring rain, Pip the duckling finds a leaf boat and takes a very slow trip across a puddle.
About 2 minutes to read aloud Journeys & Machines · Ages 2-3Goodnight, Busy Tractor
A big red tractor finishes its work on the farm and slows down for the night, one wheel at a time.
About 2 minutes to read aloud Weather & Seasons · Ages 2-3The Sleepy Snowflake
One sleepy snowflake drifts down from the clouds and finds the softest place in the world to land.
About 2 minutes to read aloud Forest & Garden · Ages 2-3Where the Fireflies Go at Night
Little Mae follows the fireflies at dusk to find out where they go to sleep.
About 2 minutes to read aloud Animals · Ages 2-3Mama Moose and the Quiet Pond
Mama Moose walks her calf to the quiet pond at twilight, where everyone is getting ready to sleep.
About 2 minutes to read aloud Journeys & Machines · Ages 2-3The Little Train Who Slowed Down
A little blue train who always rushes learns that slowing down at the end of the day feels just right.
About 2 minutes to read aloud Ocean & Water · Ages 4-5The Lighthouse Keeper's Sleepy Cat
A grey cat helps an old keeper light the lighthouse, then finds the coziest spot in the whole tower.
About 3 minutes to read aloud Friendship & Kindness · Ages 4-5Juniper and the Lantern Parade
Juniper's lantern is plain and small, until a friend shows her what a plain lantern can do.
About 3 minutes to read aloud Space & Stars · Ages 4-5The Star Who Wanted a Window
A small star far out in the sky wishes for a window of her own, and a sleepy child gives her one.
About 3 minutes to read aloud Animals · Ages 4-5Otter's Slow River Day
Otter floats down the river on his back, noticing every little thing, until the current carries him home.
About 3 minutes to read aloud Weather & Seasons · Ages 4-5The Garden That Slept Under Snow
Nell visits her grandmother's snowy garden and learns that the flowers are only sleeping, not gone.
About 3 minutes to read aloud Ocean & Water · Ages 4-5Marlo and the Paper Boat
Marlo folds a paper boat and sends it down the stream, then dreams of where it might go.
About 3 minutes to read aloud Weather & Seasons · Ages 4-5The Night the Rain Played Music
On a rainy night, a boy listens as the raindrops drum a gentle song on every roof, pot and puddle.
About 2 minutes to read aloud Home & Family · Ages 4-5Grandpa's Blue Armchair
Every evening, Ines climbs into Grandpa's big blue armchair for a story, and tonight she tells it.
About 3 minutes to read aloud Friendship & Kindness · Ages 4-5A Blanket for the Hedgehog
A rabbit, a robin and a mouse make a blanket for a sleepy hedgehog before the first frost.
About 3 minutes to read aloud Home & Family · Ages 4-5The Little Bakery That Opened at Dawn
While the town sleeps, a baker kneads dough and a small helper learns the best part of baking.
About 3 minutes to read aloud Space & Stars · Ages 4-5Rocket Ruby and the Quiet Planet
Ruby flies her little rocket to a planet where everything whispers, and finds the best place to rest.
About 3 minutes to read aloud Friendship & Kindness · Ages 4-5The Beaver Who Built a Bridge
Beaver builds a small bridge for a nervous porcupine, and finds that kindness fits in the smallest gaps.
About 3 minutes to read aloud Forest & Garden · Ages 6-8The Map Inside the Maple Tree
Cleo discovers a map hidden in an old maple and follows it, slowly and happily, to a surprise in the woods.
About 4 minutes to read aloud Weather & Seasons · Ages 6-8Nova and the Night Library of Clouds
Nova climbs a ladder of moonlight to a library in the clouds, where every book is a dream waiting to be picked.
About 4 minutes to read aloud Ocean & Water · Ages 6-8The Whale Who Hummed the Tide Home
A young whale learns that the ocean's slowest song is the one that brings the tide back to shore every night.
About 4 minutes to read aloud Home & Family · Ages 6-8The Clockmaker's Quiet Hour
A clockmaker and his granddaughter build one clock that tells the whole shop when to rest.
About 4 minutes to read aloud Weather & Seasons · Ages 6-8The Skating Pond at the End of Winter
On the last night of winter, Maya and her dad take one more skate on the pond before the ice goes to sleep.
About 4 minutes to read aloud Journeys & Machines · Ages 6-8Theo and the Train to Tomorrow
A boy who cannot wait for his birthday rides a quiet night train and learns tomorrow always arrives on time.
About 4 minutes to read aloud Friendship & Kindness · Ages 6-8The Fox Who Collected Lost Mittens
A fox gathers every mitten lost in the snow and works out, one by one, whose hands they belong to.
About 4 minutes to read aloud Forest & Garden · Ages 6-8The Lantern Moth's Midnight Garden
A soft-winged moth shows a sleepless child a garden that only opens at midnight, where every flower glows.
About 5 minutes to read aloudTonight's story, with your child's name in it
These samples are the same gentle style as the stories Starletter writes for each child. Subscribe and a new, personalised story arrives every night at 7 PM. Your first 7 days are free, then it is $6.99/month. Cancel anytime.
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Reading a bedtime story aloud
- Dim the lights and slow your voice down as you go. By the last paragraph you should be nearly whispering.
- Younger children (2 to 3) love the repeated sounds and goodnights. Pause and let them say the words with you.
- For ages 6 to 8, stop at a quiet moment and ask what they imagine the place looks like. Then carry on, more softly.
- The read-aloud times assume a calm, unhurried pace of about 130 words a minute.