Short bedtime stories for ages 4 to 6
These stories are built for reading aloud to younger kids. Each has ten illustrated pages with two or three short sentences on each, so a child can follow along by the pictures while you read.
Most take three to five minutes. The problems are small and fixable: a melting ice cream shop, a shy goblin, a lost firefly. Nobody gets hurt and every story ends somewhere warm, which is what you want right before lights out.
46 free illustrated stories, each with a read-aloud button and questions to talk about after.
A Brave New Flutter
Flick the caterpillar likes being small and plain and is scared of becoming a butterfly. A boy named Oliver promises to wait for him.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
A Drop and a Beam
A tiny raindrop and a cheerful sunbeam meet over a droopy flower and learn they can help it more together than apart.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
A World Up High
Clara wishes she could see a new world, then finds a giant stalk that reaches the clouds and climbs it with her friends cheering.
Ages 4 to 6 5 min read
AeroSub's Big Splash
A toy plane left out in the rain slides into a big puddle and bravely becomes something new: a submarine.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Anya's Mailbox Adventure
Anya is a stamp who dreams of seeing every mailbox in the world. Her letter travels far, comes back home, and a boy finds a better way.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Asha's Cloud Ship Adventure
Captain Asha sails her pirate ship through the clouds toward a strange, swirly cloud that turns out to be a friendly cloud whale.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Barnaby's Big World Trip
A very tall blue bunny with a green backpack stops at the park and shows Lily and Sam the treasures from his trips around the world.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Barnaby's Secret Map
A mouse drops his tiny map of hidden crumbs, and the boy who finds it learns it is a map of his own bedroom.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Boxy's Big Surprise
Every morning the toys wake up in new places, until a teddy bear and a block robot discover what their toy box has been building.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Buster's Big Adventure
Buster would rather nap on the bed and only walks the way he wants, until a bouncing ball leads him down a brand new path.
Ages 4 to 6 3 min read
Candle's Cozy Secret
A bright flashlight wants to feel warm like its friend the candle, so they go looking for all the kinds of warmth in a house.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Chilly's Midnight Melody
Late at night, Leo and his cat follow a soft humming sound down the hall and find the fridge singing a lullaby.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Chromatic's Magical Lines
Alani finds a green crayon that makes everything it draws come true, and the best thing she draws is a wheel for a friend's broken toy car.
Ages 4 to 6 5 min read
Elara and Grom's Brave Ride
Princess Elara rides her dinosaur friend Grom into the woods to find a rare flower, and together they move a log that blocks the way.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Fimble's Secret Garden Friend
New flowers keep appearing in Kaelen's garden overnight, so he wakes before sunrise to meet the shy goblin who plants them.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Kaelen's Sparkle Pizza
A unicorn who works at a pizza shop cannot knead dough with her hooves, so she finds out what her horn can do instead.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Kaelo's Cozy Knits
Kaelo the yeti knits warm things for all his friends, and when he spots a shivering squirrel he makes the smallest scarf of all.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Kaito's Star-Berry Surprise
Kaito the space shark is missing his favorite treat, so Anya and her robot Bolt swim with him past nebulas and asteroids to find it.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Kaktus's Cozy Hug
A little cactus wants a hug more than anything, and two friends find a soft, clever way to give him one.
Ages 4 to 6 3 min read
Kazimir's Singing Spells
Every spell Kazimir the witch casts turns into a song, which seems like a problem until a lost little creature needs to find its way home.
Ages 4 to 6 5 min read
Maya's Big Swing Dream
Maya pumps her legs higher and higher on her favorite park swing, with her dog Waffles cheering her all the way over the bar.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Maya's Marvelous Lunchbox
Maya's silver lunchbox packs itself with a new surprise every school day, and one day it packs enough for a friend.
Ages 4 to 6 3 min read
Orion's Wonderful Tunes
Esther's doorbell plays a different tune every time, so she starts a book to draw every song she hears.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Orrin and the Big Sea
Orrin the lighthouse is afraid of the sea, and on a stormy night a girl named Aria climbs all the way up to help him shine.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Orrin's New Sky Adventure
Orrin the blue bird loses a wing and misses the sky, until a little robin finds another way to help him feel the wind.
Ages 4 to 6 3 min read
Percy's Cool Summer Shop
Percy the penguin opens an ice cream shop on a hot summer day, and his friends help him save it from melting.
Ages 4 to 6 3 min read
Ravi's Moon Adventure
Ravi the bunny wishes he could fly to the moon, so his friend Aisha helps him build a cardboard rocket.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Rusto and Zippy's Big Adventure
An old boot on a dusty shelf and a speedy new sneaker seem too different to be friends, until a ball rolls somewhere only one of them can reach.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Sky's Big Star Flight
The other planes say space is too far, but Sky the little plane decides to try anyway.
Ages 4 to 6 3 min read
Sparkle Woods Adventure
Two friends follow a trail of glitter into the woods and meet the shy, fluffy creature who leaves it everywhere it goes.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
The Airplane Adventure
Caleb's paper airplane flies over the fence, and when he and Kate follow it they find a whimsical garden and a small robot friend.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
The Bridge-Builder Troll
Ben meets a troll by the river who does not guard bridges at all. He draws them, and then he builds one just for Ben.
Ages 4 to 6 3 min read
The Extra Step Mystery
Maya can feel one more step on the staircase than she can count. Nobody believes her, except her cat Muffin.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
The Hidden Closet Door
Looking for a lost toy car, Anya and Koji find a small red door at the back of the closet, and a dust bunny helps them find its tiny key.
Ages 4 to 6 3 min read
The Mailbox's Dreamy Delivery
Aiko's friend Postwick is a mailbox who delivers dreams to sleeping children, and one night his dream power needs a spark.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
The Marshmallow Rain Day
Soft marshmallows start falling from the sky, and Anya and Javier decide the best thing to do with a basket of them is share.
Ages 4 to 6 3 min read
The Moon's Sunny Visit
Little Moon has only ever seen the night, so one morning she travels across the sky to meet the Sun.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
The Pebble and the River Friend
A pebble who likes to stay still and a river who loves to move find a way to be friends without changing each other.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
The Piano's Secret Song
A tiny chirping sound is coming from inside Grandma's old piano, and Anya and Jian find a hidden latch to see what it is.
Ages 4 to 6 3 min read
The Rainy Day Tunnel
On a bored, rainy afternoon, a little moss creature leads Maya and Leo to a glowing tunnel that only appears in the rain.
Ages 4 to 6 5 min read
The Secret Attic Box
Amara and Kian find a plain box in the attic that nobody remembers putting there. Inside is a dust sprite and their own forgotten treasures.
Ages 4 to 6 5 min read
The Snowy Footprints
River and Moss follow a trail of mystery footprints across a snowy yard and find a hungry bunny at the end of it.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Uno's Counting Buddy
Uno is the number one, and counting by himself is lonely. He goes looking for a partner and finds one in the meadow.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Zip's Moon Adventure
Zip the blue bicycle looks up at the moon every night, and one night a sparkle path appears that leads all the way there.
Ages 4 to 6 3 min read
Zola and Riku's Big Ride
A small turquoise dragon rides her tall dinosaur friend down a new path and finds a hidden waterfall.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Zoom's Big Adventure Day
Rhea's yellow sneakers wiggle when they want to go somewhere, and today they walk her to a hidden trail and a pond full of ducks.
Ages 4 to 6 4 min read
Questions parents ask
- How long are these stories?
- Between 150 and 400 words over ten pages. Most take three to five minutes to read aloud, a little longer if your child wants to look at every picture.
- Can a 5 or 6 year old read them alone?
- Many early readers can manage a page or two with help. The sentences are short and the words are everyday ones, so trading pages with a grown-up works well.
- Are any of the stories scary?
- No. Some have a small worry, like a dark hallway or a lost toy, but each one is solved kindly by the end.
Want one about your child's own idea?
Every story in this library started as one sentence said out loud. In the Storybox app your child says the idea, and a new illustrated story comes back in about a minute.
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