Share your favourite animal stories and enter comp to win a copy of Mumsnet Book of Bedtime Stories

[RachelMumsnet]

To celebrate the launch of our latest story writing competition with Walker Books, we're asking you to share your favourite animal stories. Post your favourites (and why) on this thread before 10am on Friday 13 December and we'll choose three winners who will each receive a copy of The Mumsnet Book of Bedtime Stories, the result of last year's competition and recently listed first in The Independent's top children's books for 2013, described as "beautifully produced ... could be a collector's item".

If you love making up stories for children, why not enter story writing competition this year's writing competition themed around animal stories and the ten winners will see their stories published in a beautifully illustrated gift book.

To kick off I'm going and choose Charlotte's Webb as my favourite animal story. I remember sobbing in a tent in France when my mum read the final pages but loved the relationship between Fern and Wilbur and the feisty Charlotte. Some Pig!

[SarahMumsnet]

Hopping on (ho, ho) to say: Watership Down for me. Stands up just as well to reading as an adult; read it to DS recently and he declared it his favourite, too. General Woundwort is, I think, one of the greatest villains in literature

[missorinoco]

What The Ladybird Heard. I read it over and over with the children and haven't tired of it after four years.

[sharond101]

It has to be the Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark.

[daisydaisy11]

Like the OP, I like Charlotte's Web. After reading this, I became vegetarian aged 11 and have been ever since.

[CrewElla]

The Great Dog Bottom Swap - Peter Bently, because it's about dogs ending up with the wrong bum and that's funny.

[ILiveInAPineappleCoveredInSnow]

The tiger who came to tea.
Every time I read it, I feel warm and fuzzy because I've been reading it to my 6yr old since he was a tiny newborn baby!
The night before I had my section for my second baby, I cried reading it because I knew it would be the last time is ever read it to my ds1 alone!

[kateandme]

charlottes web too.my mum read it to me when i was younger and years later in my older years when i got very ill and bed bound she got out the original tatty copy and read it to me again.both grown up adults were blubbing.

[LauraChant]

Carbonel. I loved the idea of a secret magic kingdom of cats co-existing with our world.

[milliemoon]

Nosy Gilbert. He was a big dog that got stung by a bee. I just wanted to hug him!

[FossilMum]

The Incredible Journey, by Sheila Burnford, about 3 lost pets who travel for miles cross-country in order to find their family. I was fascinated to discover that some animals do indeed have an innate ability to navigate over long distances. I loved it when I read it aged 11, though I haven't come across it again since.

I also enjoyed Watership Down and Charlotte's Web.

[katy14]

Tabby McTat. My daughter is only 7 months old and already recognises the rhyme in there. A lovely little story too

[PetiteRaleuse]

I was going to say the Farthing Wood series, which came after my time slightly but I still love.

But a poster upthread reminded me of Carbonel which was amazing. I bought it for all my friends for their birthdays (I always gave books, even then) and no-one really got it. Must buy it for my DDs to enjoy later on.

[tortoisesarefab]

Got to be 'guess how much i love you'. My toddler loves it and is happy to go to bed for the 'rabbit story'. It also describes the love between a parent and child in a lovely childlike way

[semloh]

I was fond of the 'Just So Stories' by Rudyard Kiping, which were amusing in their fantastic explanations of how 'The Camel Got His Hump' or 'How the Elephant Got His Trunk' etc. and the way the author addresses the read as 'Best Beloved', which made me feel special and linked in some way to the author and story.
Also T.S. Eliot's 'Macavity the Mystery Cat' - being a cat lover, and always having a pet cat, that appealed to me.

[GoodKingWencesLACK]

From my childhood, I loved Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh; it was one of the first books I remember reading. I loved the whole small beings overcoming adversity aspect of it, as well as the lab rats being superior ratty beings.

From my children's library; I love the Hairy McLary series, but especially Slinky Malinki; he is just so mischievous. I've had several cats with Slinky traits over the years and that book makes me remember them all fondly.

and Tiddler...just because!

[Ruby6918]

my favourite animal story is the tortoise and the hare, its such a simple message that you can still win the race even if your not the fastest at the start, just dont give up!

[libertyflip]

Hairy Mclary from Donaldson's Dairy.

Makes me laugh every time I read it - Schnitzel von Krumm with a very low tum...Bottomley Potts covered in spots...

[Pascha]

Black Beauty is a story I come back to again and again. Poor old Ginger.

[MarianneEnjolras]

Mog the Forgetful Cat is my favourite. I loved it as a child and I love reading it to ds. As a cat lover, I think Mog's character has been written perfectly and I especially love the way the burglar is having a cup of tea with his handcuffs on at the end!

[pixietrixiepanto]

Mog's Christmas every time. Boiled eggs, Christmas trees talking, a stint on the house roof, a couple of crazy rellies, all covered with a flurry of Winter snow. What's not to love?

[gazzalw]

Rudyard Kipling's Just So stories here too (showing my age!) and particularly 'How The Elephant Got His Trunk' - Dad used to read it to be at bedtime...always a favourite.

The DCs don't appreciate Rudyard Kipling though - sadly. I think the language is rather stilted for this generation of children.

[NumTumRedRum]

I read Mossflower by Brian Jaques and I was hooked as a child. I read everything he had written. Great characters, the series probably shaped my adult reading habits, still love a bit of sword and sorcery!

[ItStillLooksLikeRainDear]

'We're going on a bear hunt' is our favourite. DS loves it. Earlier this year when he'd just turned 3 we had heavy snow & we were out in the snow in our back garden a big pile of snow had fallen from the conservatory roof and he said 'oh,oh mummy! We can't go over it, we can't go under it...we'll have to go through it!'

We regularly go on bear hunts now & he makes up his own version.

[MinesAPintOfTea]

The animals of farthing wood, which was my favourite series at about 8-9. I loved Watership Down too, but its less of a children's book.