Animal Bedtime Stories for Kids

Why do kids love animals so much?

Animals are expressive and easy to read: a wagging tail, a sulk, a happy hop. Small children often recognise feelings in an animal before they can name their own. Pets and animal characters also give a child someone smaller to look after, which makes them feel big and capable.

Why do so many children's stories use animals?

Animals let a story talk about feelings without pointing at the child: a jealous dog is easier to laugh at than your own jealousy. They're also just fun.

One thing worth knowing: in a 2018 study, preschoolers who heard a sharing story with human characters shared more stickers afterwards than children who heard the same story with animal characters. That's why in our stories the hero is always a child, and the animals are the pets, friends and sidekicks.

How do I teach my child to be gentle with animals?

Show rather than tell: one flat hand, stroking the way the fur goes, letting the animal come to you, and leaving animals alone when they're eating or sleeping. Vets advise never leaving a young child alone with a dog, even a gentle family dog.

Stories help rehearse it. In The Frog Who Came to Tea, Mia has to make room for a new frog friend without upsetting her dog, which is gentleness and jealousy in one afternoon.

My child is scared of dogs. Can stories help?

Gently, yes. A story where the dog is small, silly and kind, like Coconut, lets a child get used to dogs as friends with no real dog in the room. Pair it with slow real-life steps: watching calm dogs from a distance, then meeting one with its owner holding the lead. Never push a scared child towards a dog.

Why are frogs (and puppies, and kittens) so cute?

Big eyes, round heads and small bodies set off what scientists call the baby schema, a set of features that makes people want to look after something. Frogs, with their huge eyes and wide smiles, hit several of them at once, which is why they make such good story characters.