Customer Reviews

365 Bedtime Stories

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'm sorry I didn't see the review from "A reader from USA , August 9, 1998", but I agree with the assessment. I purchased this book to read to my 5 year old daughter. I began to read a couple aloud, but found I needed to seriously edit them, or stop reading entirely. Now, I preview each story before I begin - and I find I'm skipping most of them. For example, the first story I selected told the disturbing tale of a bird that helps an abandoned dog find food and rest only to watch him get run over and killed. The bird then seeks revenge on the driver and succeeds in having him killed.

The stories in this book are written for an older age group. They are hard for a small child to understand and/or graphically violent.

Several people have commented on the content of many stories not being suitable for small children, and I agree with that. Some of the stories are wonderful, some are gruesome, and some are dull. Overall I do not recommend this book. Additionally, the stories are of an inconsistent length making it difficult as "bedtime" reading book. Some are long, and some are less than a paragraph. This can be frustrating for both the child and the parent. Then there are the "variations" which are included as a story for the day but normally are not stories. They simply tell how the tale differs in different areas. To be blunt these variations are exceedingly boring.

I have never written a review, but I decided to write one this time because I feel very strongly about this book. My children received this book as a gift from their grandparents and we thought it would be a wonderful addition to our bedtime story collection. We have had the book for only 3 weeks and I have had to skip stories because of the violent content. For example, the entries for March 27-28 contain a Scottish fairy tale, Molly Whuppie. Molly Whuppie begins with parents who did not want their children and "decided to get rid of them. They didn't kill them or anything, they just left them in the forest..." The story then goes on to describe how a giant puts nooses around their (the abandoned children, including Molly Whuppie) necks and gold chains around the necks of his three daughters. Once all are asleep, Molly Whuppie puts the nooses around the necks of the giant's daughters and the gold chains around her own neck and the necks of her sisters. The giant feels for the nooses and mistakenly batters his daughters "until they were dead". Yikes! In my opinion, this is not a soothing bedtime story. I also agree with another reviewer about the "variations" being boring. Some variations are not really stories, but just describe how the stories are different than the more commonly heard story.

This book is wonderful. When I was growing up, I had a similar book that was read so often that I remember some of the stories to this day (60 years later). I purchased this book for my grandson, who will be arriving in a couple of weeks. The stories are short enough for a bedtime ritual but the book is full of fun and interesting tales. I look forward to seeing him enjoy the stories that will start him on a lifetime love of reading.

This book has legends from various cultures, many of which are violent and do not contain a moral. This is the worst bedtime story book I've ever purchased.

This book is great! Don't listen to the Reviews that say it's "not appropriate fo small children" This book was written for kids of all ages. On the back of the book it says " From kids as small as two to as old as elevan" I'm elevan. I think this book should be read to kids who like Bedtime stories. No matter what their age is. Hey, I'm elevan and I read this book every night. You should really buy this book. If you have small kids then parents should read to them. If you have a kid that is [...]or over they should read it to themselves.

I have 5 children and I am 31. This book will show children great stories with meaning to them.They will ask for you to read it every night after the first story.It is an adorible, non-violent, family book for all children. I recommend it for children 0-9 it is truley spellbinding the way the love the book so much. You will enjoy the choice that you made if you bought this book!

From, Paula S. P.S I garentee you will love this book just like your children will!

This book is a charming way to spend a quality moment with your young child every day for a year. Where else will you find something that gives you the chance to spend a magical moment with a child EVERY DAY?