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!

Blindly bill series here.
There's something for everyone. I like roguishness.

The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark by Jill Tomlinson - reading it over and over to DS2 at the moment and it doesn't get tiring. Pitched just right for children and adults alike - lots of sarky humour from Mr Barn Owl that goes over the boys' heads but DH and I enjoy it. Also, the illustrations are just beautiful and it's a gentle introduction to facing fears and learning to deal with them.

Barry the Fish with Fingers . Really love the whole series tbh. The children love it too!

Charlotte's Web, definitely Charlotte's Web.

The Tiger Who Came to Tea. Absolutely love its simplicity and matter of fact narrative style which gives a great contrast to the huge fantasy taking place in the story.

I love reading The Owl who was afraid of the dark with dd 1, such a great, funny, reassuring story. And I also like 6 Dinner Sid and the Mousehole Cat, because I love cats, plus the Mousehole Cat has such stunning illustrations. I could sit and pore over them all day long.

My ultimate favourite is Black Beauty, though. I can still remember passages from reading it as a child. I haven't read it with dd yet, Dh usually does the bedtime story. Maybe I should earmark it for cold January afternoons after school.

all Beatrix potter! though especially The Tale of Samuel Whiskers. Such great vocabulary, lovely illustrations and this weird move between humanoid behaviour and animal behavior.

A Bit Lost by Chris Haughton - about an owl who falls from the nest and tries to find its mummy. So understated and so powerful. The tear in the mummy owl's eye made me cry. Just love how it captures the tenderness and strength of the parent child bond, in a way an adult book never could.

Wind in the Willows, it is just so beautifully written. I am reading it to my dc and they love it just as much as I do.

Guess how much I love you sums it up for me. I need say no more x

Dear Zoo. The first book both my DC really loved.

watership down still makes me cry

Mine is guess how much I love you. I started reading it to dd when she was a few months old and and almost 11yrs she is reading it to me..

We love a story called "Dear Bear", where a little girl called Katie is afraid of the bear under the stairs, but through writing him letters comes to love him. The illustrations are lovely, with amusing details to talk about, like the cat stealing the bacon off her breakfast plate. A nice message that isn't rammed down your throat.

Hi,

Thank you all for sharing your favourite animal stories. Congratulations to ItStillLooksLikeRainDear who will receive a copy of the Mumsnet Book of Bedtime Stories. We will contact you on how to claim your prize.

Don't forget you can still enter our animal stories writing competition, for a chance to see your story published!

You're all my favourites :D

Thank You. I'm looking forward to reading it with DC.

I have received my book, thank you!

The stories are lovely, they are beautifully illustrated and there has been no expense spared in producing the books as they are of a very high quality.

Thank you once again.