The Blanket Boat and the Slow Sea: A Bedtime Read-Aloud Story for Ages 3 to 6

A Goodnight Neighbourhood story about two siblings, one blanket and a slow, imaginary voyage home.

Mum calls up the stairs: ten minutes until lights out. Just long enough, Nadia and Sol decide, for a voyage. The big blue blanket becomes a boat, the bedroom floor becomes the sea, and two slippers become the oars.

Nadia wants to go far and fast. Sol paddles slow and careful. And on the Slow Sea, the blanket boat just spins round in circles until Sol has an idea: what if they paddle at the same time? "Dip... and pull." Together they glide past Sock Island, tiptoe-paddle around a very hairy snoring Whale, and spot the Lighthouse glowing on the far shore. Neither of them wants the voyage to end, but the Slow Sea has its own way of bringing sailors home.

This is an original illustrated bedtime story written for reading aloud with children aged 3 to 6. Every imaginary place on the voyage is something real in the bedroom, so children can spot what Sock Island, the Whale and the Lighthouse really are. A slow paddling rhythm runs through the story for adult and child to share.

What's included. 24 pages (557 words, about 4 to 6 minutes to read aloud) for ages 3 to 6. Also inside: parent conversation card with five gentle questions to talk about after reading. You get a screen PDF of 15 pages (covers and double-page spreads) for reading on a tablet or computer, and a printable PDF of 26 pages including covers, in both US Letter and A4. English. Digital download; nothing is shipped.

Licence. Household Licence: read, view and print it at home for the people you live with. Not for classroom sharing, resale or print-on-demand, and please don't share the files. Written and illustrated by Brainfy Studio, created with AI assistance.