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LET’S DISCUSS THE STORIES ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Feelings, Friendship, Courage

1. In this story, Wee Ghost is frightened to make friends, in case people don’t like him. Did this end up being correct? What do you think this might say about the way we sometimes feel before we make new friends?

2. What did Wee Ghost do to make friends?

3. Do you think this needed him to be brave? Why or why not?

Bedtime Story written by Prarthana Gururaj

Illustrated by Tanja Tomusilovic

Music Video by “Moonlight Hall” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Lift Motif” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The post The Friendly Ghost first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

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LET’S DISCUSS THE STORIES ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Independent Thinking, Conversation

1. Can you think of some other nice things about the dark?

2. What is your favourite memory of darkness? What were the nice feelings you have about that memory?

Bedtime Story written by Jade Maitre

Illustrated by Yesim Serce

Music Video by “Crinoline Dreams” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The post The Dark is Friendly first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

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LET’S DISCUSS THE STORIES ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Self-Confidence

1. When Winifred loses her memory, her friend Brian the Bat helps remind her of some of her witchy deeds. Fred is not very impressed about the things she did as a witch. Do you think she was right to feel this way? Why or why not?

2. At the end of the story, Winifred decides she’d prefer a different job. What did she do after she made this decision? Do you think she did the right thing? Why or why not?

Bedtime Story written by Templeton Moss

Illustrated by Tatiana Ross

Music Video by “March of the Spoons” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Run Amok” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Music to Delight” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Call to Adventure” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Meanwhile in Bavaria” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Enchanted Valley” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The post The Witch’s Scrapbook first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

© 2023 Storyberries

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LET’S DISCUSS THE STORIES ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Feelings

1. In this story, Izzy does not try to change the skinny pumpkin from being sad. What do you think this might say about our feelings? And what might it say about friendship?

Self Esteem

2. Izzy and her pumpkin don’t mind if they look like what people think a Halloween pumpkin, or a Halloween costume, should look like. Do you think what other people think about you should matter? Why or why not?

Bedtime Story written by Andrea Kaczmarek

Illustrated by Tamara Nguyen

Music Video by  “Balloon Game” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Airship Serenity” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Graveyard Shift” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Voxel Revolution” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Jerry Five” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The post A Skinny Pumpkin first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

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LET’S DISCUSS THE STORIES ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Optimism

1. In this story, Midnight takes a scary experience and turns it into a story of courage. What do you think this might say about the stories we tell ourselves?

3. Think about what happened in your life today. Can you tell the story of your day? Now, can you tell it in a different way? Which do you prefer?

Bedtime Story written by Hattie Stamp

Illustrated by Tanja Tomusilovic

Music Video by “Aquarium” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Myst” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The post Midnight and the Spider first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

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LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE STORY ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Feeling Scared, Conversation

1. Why do you think the particular things in this book are seen as “spooky” or “scary”?

2. What scares you the most?

3. Do you think the same things are scary for everyone? Why?

Short Story for Kids written by Mataï Maitre

Illustrations purchased under license

Book design by Mataï Maitre

Music Video by Pixelland Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The post The Twelve Days of Halloween first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

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LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE STORY ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Stranger Danger, Independent Thinking

1. Emmie says No when the old lady asks her and her friends into her home. Why do you think she says No? Was this the right thing to do? Why or why not?

2. If the old lady didn’t look spooky, do you think Emmie should have done the same thing? Why or why not?

Short Story for Kids written by Andrea Kaczmarek

Illustrations by Zeinab Khalifi

Book design by Jade Maitre

Music Video by “Children’s Theme” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Unease” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Ghost Story” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Classic Horror 2” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Trepidation” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Measured Paces” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Marty Gots a Plan” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The post The Three Halloween Cats first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

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LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE STORY ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Love, Independent Thinking, Conversation

1. Why do you think we sometimes give the people we love ‘pet’ names? (Special names that are not the same as their normal names)

2. Does your family call you any special names that are different from your real name? What do they call you?

3. How do you feel when they call you those names?

4. If you could choose your own ‘pet name’, what would it be?

Bedtime Story for Kids written by Jade Maitre

Illustrated by Tanja Tomušilović

Book design by Jade Maitre

Music Video by “Android Sock Hop” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The post You’re My BOO! first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

Lilly, Libby, Scarlett and George begged to finish Trick-or-Treating on their own, in their street.

Lilly the green witch with spiders and a pointy hat, Libby the vampire with scary teeth and a blood red cape, Scarlett the pumpkin, her face bright orange, and George the white creepy ghost with a ripped bedsheet.

Mom said yes. All the neighbors wanted to see their costumes, and most of them had plenty of treats…

“Just our neighbors in our street, though. I’ll get the hotdogs ready, so don’t be too long…” Mom called.

And the four children went off to see what their neighbors had ready for them.

The last house was Mrs. Simms, and she had plenty. As they left, George looked along to the end of their road.

“Why not try the old house at the edge of the wood? It’s creepy enough for Halloween.”

“A waste of time. Nobody lives there… it has been empty for years…” Libby shook her Vampire head.

Ghostly George didn’t give up. “But tonight, I can see a light in the front window. Maybe somebody moved in.”

The four children all looked down the road to the big dark old house just outside the little wood at the end of their road.

Lilly squinted. “Yes, there is a light in the window.” She laughed. “OK George, we’ll give the new people a little ‘Halloween welcome’ to our street…”

Why did they feel a bit nervous as they opened the old iron gate, the gate creaked, and they almost turned back?

Sure enough, there was a light – a candle in a dirty jam jar, in the dusty old downstairs window.

“Just moved in… Maybe the electricity isn’t on yet…” Scarlett sounded braver than she felt.

The four Trick-or-Treaters stood close together at the front door. There was no bell, just a rusty old knocker covered in spiderwebs.

Lilly knocked, the sound was hollow and scary.

A face appeared at the window. A thin old lady with straggly white hair. The candle in the jar made her look a little yellow, and very old.

“Happy Halloween,” the children mumbled, in voices that now were no longer so sure that this was a good idea.

But the old lady smiled a crooked smile and asked,

“Who are you? Tell me your names…”

The children were polite and told their names. Wishing the old lady a Happy Halloween, all they wanted to do was to run. Apart from the pale-yellow candle in the window, all around was pitch black. The trees in the garden looked twisted and strange, and the house even older and more broken down than it seemed from the street…

“I have something for you children.” The old lady spoke slowly, and the candle flickered.

Lilly and Libby were holding hands tight. Scarlett and George were gripping each other’s elbows.

“I have so many apple trees in my garden,” the old lady smiled. But it seemed kind of twisted in the candle light.

“Today, I picked a basketful of the best and freshest apples…” Her eyes fixed on each one of the children; her eyes looked right through them. “I hoped some children might come to visit me.”

The children nodded. “Thank you very much…” Libby managed to squeak.

“In front of the door.” The old lady lifted a bony finger, and pointed out of the window.

“Yes, thank you, it’s very kind of you…” Scarlett hardly knew what she was saying. She just wanted to grab that basket and run.

“We’ll bring back the basket, we promise,” George added, but the other three glared at him.

Lilly spotted the basket, quite near her feet on the stone doorstep, where they had just knocked. She hadn’t noticed it before.

“Funny we didn’t see them before,” she mumbled, as she picked up the basket of apples, and the four children turned and ran for the gate.

Only George turned around for a moment – the house was dark again; the candle had gone out.

Back home, Lilly quickly dumped the basket of apples on the kitchen table, then the children went to the counter for the delicious smelling hot-dogs.

“I hope you got plenty of treats,” Mum smiled.

“Loads,” Scarlett grinned.

“And the old lady in the big house at the end of the road gave us a basket of apples…” George told her.

“But nobody lives in that old house. It has been empty for years…” Mom shook her head, and they went out onto the patio to toast marshmallows on a small fire and share out their candy.

The next morning Mom called the children for breakfast.

“What on earth were you thinking, leaving that basket of apples on the table…”

“Why?” Lilly looked hard at the basket.

“Those apples are rotten…” Mum pointed at the basket. “Full of worms, and they look pretty rotten. The basket crumbles as soon as you even touch it, it’s so old…”

“But it wasn’t like that last night,” George frowned. “The apples looked fresh; red and green…”

George stared at the basket. The apples were brown and rotting, moldy with worms and maggots crawling all over, flies buzzing…

“They stink.” Libby held her nose.

“In the bin.” Mum scooped up the basket and threw it away.

“How did that happen?” Scarlett wondered. “Last night they seemed OK”

George couldn’t let it go. “I have to find out. You can come if you like…”

He walked to the end of the road. The others followed behind him.

The big sign said – ‘Keep Out- Dangerous Building!’

A man with a yellow hard hat leaned over the fence.

“That sign has been there for weeks. Those walls are dangerous, the stones are unsafe…”

“And what about the old lady who lives here?” George asked.

“Nobody lives here, little boy.” The man picked up his electric saw and switched it on with a buzz. “We are here to chop down all those old bent and broken old apple trees. They are dangerous and rotten, too. You won’t find any apples in this garden…”

George sniffed, and wondered why he could smell the sweet fruity smell of fresh apples…..

© Storyberries 2021

LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE STORY ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Conversation

1. Have you ever had something spooky happen to you that you couldn’t explain? Tell a scary story about it, this Halloween!

Short Story for Kids written by Andrea Kaczmarek

The post A Candle In The Window first appeared on Bedtime Stories.