Five-Minute Stories
Short enough for the gap before dinner.
Short stories written to be read out loud rather than read silently — short sentences, a rhythm you can find first time, and a shape that finishes properly rather than trailing off.
Five minutes is long enough to settle into and short enough to say yes to a second one, which is usually what happens.
Every story says roughly how long it takes to read aloud, because at seven in the evening that is the number that matters.
Activities
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The Sock That Went Missing
A five-minute story about one striped sock, a washing machine, and where socks actually go.
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Goodnight, Everything
A slow bedtime story that says goodnight to one thing after another, and gets quieter as it goes.
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The Very Loud Hiccup
A read-aloud story with a noise in it that everybody has to make. Loud, silly, and not for bedtime.
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The Button Who Wanted a Coat
A story about a lost button, and then a jar of real buttons to sort afterwards.
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The First Cold Morning
A seasonal story about the morning you can suddenly see your own breath.