Beauty and the Beast | Bedtime Stories

Beauty and the Beast was written by French author Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in 1740. The story is about a young woman named Beauty, who sees the Beast’s kind nature and discovers that he is a prince.

The lesson from Beauty and the Beast emphasizes the importance of appreciating inner traits like kindness rather than focusing on superficial attributes like charm and looks.

Good Bedtime Stories

Bedtime stories bring families closer together. Telling stories, whether reading or inventing them, helps young children improve their language skills and thinking. Picking the right story can inspire their imagination and make bedtime special.

You might read classics like The Velveteen Rabbit, which teaches about love and being real, or beauty and the beast story.

Kids can also make up their own stories, which builds emotional bonds. Each bedtime story is an opportunity to encourage creativity and empathy that lasts beyond bedtime.

Read Also: The Frog Prince | Bedtime Stories

Beauty And The Beast Bedtime Story

Once, there was a rich merchant with three daughters. The two older daughters didn’t care about school, but the youngest, named Beauty, loved to read. This made her sisters jealous. They were proud of their wealth and liked to socialize with the upper class, often teasing Beauty for her passion for books. Beauty chose to spend time with her father instead. The townspeople admired her for her love of reading and her adventurous dreams.

A merchant went on a trip to show off his new invention. He got lost in a dark forest with howling winds and whispering trees. To escape the cold and wolves, he found a strange castle and went inside. He waited a long time, but no one came. He felt very hungry. Shaking a little, he grabbed a chicken leg and ate it quickly. He left the hall and walked through several fancy rooms until he reached a bedroom. In the middle of the room was a large bed with a red canopy. Tired and realizing it was late, he closed the door and decided to rest. 

The next morning, the merchant woke up at ten. He was surprised to find a nice suit of clothes on the bed that fit him perfectly. He thought a kind fairy must live in the palace and felt grateful. He returned to the great hall where he had dinner the night before and found a mug of hot chocolate on a small table. Thank you, kind Madam Fairy, he said. I appreciate your help. After drinking his chocolate, he went to find his horse. While walking through a rose garden, he remembered Beauty’s request and picked a rose. 

A loud crash made him turn around. To his surprise, a huge creature stood in front of him. The monster had big tusks, glowing red eyes, rough fur, and sharp horns. It roared, Human! Who told you to take my rose? The merchant shook with fear and said, Please forgive me! I promised my daughter a rose and only remembered at the last moment. I saw your beautiful garden and thought you wouldn’t mind if I took one. I would have asked you first if I had time.

You are a thief! shouted the beast. You must pay with your life! The merchant fell to his knees and begged for mercy for his three daughters. The beast said, I will forgive you, but one daughter must come willingly to take your place. If any refuse, you must return here in three months. The merchant agreed. He took his rose, got on his horse, and rode home.

When he arrived, his daughters rushed to greet him, clapping with joy. He gave a necklace to his eldest daughter, a gold chain to his second daughter, and the rose to his youngest. As he handed her the rose, he sighed. Thank you, father! Beauty said. Why did you sigh when you gave me the rose? It’s nothing, the merchant replied, but Beauty was curious.

They lived happily together for a few days, but Beauty noticed her father often staring out the window, looking sad. Finally, he gathered his daughters and told them about his terrible encounter. The two eldest daughters cried out in anger, blaming Beauty. She said, Since the beast will accept one of us, I will go to him. I would rather sacrifice myself to save my father. I don’t have many years left to live.

You can’t go to the palace without me! And you can’t stop me from following you, said Beauty. The rose I asked for caused your trouble. Beauty’s sisters were secretly happy to see her go. The next day, the merchant took Beauty on his horse to the Beast’s palace. When they arrived and got off the horse, they found the doors open, but there was nothing inside. They walked up the steps and into the dining room. There, they saw a table set with beautiful dishes, glasses, and plenty of hot food. They waited for the owner to show up. Finally, the merchant suggested they sit down.

The Beast appeared in the doorway. Is this your youngest daughter? he roared. When the merchant said yes, the Beast asked Beauty if she was willing to stay with him. She replied, trembling, Yes, sir. The Beast then told the merchant, You can leave now and don’t come back. After her father left, the Beast told Beauty, This house and everything in it is yours. Just clap your hands and say what you want, and it will come.

Beauty lived in the Beast’s home, helped by unseen helpers. Whenever she wanted something, she clapped her hands, and food or drink would appear. One day, the Beast came to see Beauty. He looked scary, but she felt safe because he had treated her well. They talked about the garden, the house, and her father’s business. Soon, she felt relaxed. The Beast said, If my presence bothers you, I can go.

I suppose you are a bit ugly, Beauty replied honestly, but you don’t bother me. I believe you are kind. Yes, said the Beast. My heart is good, but I am still a monster. Beauty replied, Many people deserve the name monster more than you. Some may look good but have ungrateful hearts. Beauty enjoyed a hearty dinner with the Beast she once feared. She nearly fainted when he asked, Beauty, will you be my wife? She hesitated, afraid of upsetting him if she said no. Finally, she said, No, Beast. The Beast sighed and hissed loudly, making the palace echo. But he quickly calmed down and said sadly, I understand. Farewell, Beauty, and left the room. 

For the next three months, Beauty felt mostly happy in the palace. She got used to the Beast’s appearance by seeing him often. Instead of fearing his visits, she looked forward to them and waited for nine o’clock when he arrived. The hardest part was when he asked her every night to marry him. One day, she told him, Beast, your nightly question makes me uncomfortable. I wish I could say yes, but I can’t. I must be honest. The Beast replied I will stop asking.

At least you are here, and that makes me glad. Promise never to leave me.” Beauty blushed at these words. “I could,” answered she, “indeed, promise never to leave you, but I have so great a desire to see my father that I’m afraid I will fret to death if you refuse me that satisfaction.” Maybe this will help, said the Beast as he gave her a gold-rimmed mirror. In the mirror, Beauty saw her father looking very sad because he missed her. Oh! she cried, her face losing all colour. I would rather die than see you so upset, said the Beast. 

Go to your father’s house and stay with him for a week. But if you don’t come back in time, I will die from sadness. I promise to return in a week, Beauty said. But how will I get there? 

Use this magic mirror and ring, the Beast said. Before you sleep tonight, place the ring in the mirror. You’ll be at your father’s house when you wake up tomorrow. To return, do the same thing before you sleep again. 

Beauty followed his instructions. The next morning, she woke up at her father’s house. Overjoyed, she quickly got dressed and went to the kitchen, where her father shouted with happiness. He was thrilled to see her and held her tightly for more than fifteen minutes. Once the excitement calmed down, he told Beauty the good news: both her sisters were married.

Beauty called for her sisters, who quickly came with their husbands. When she spoke to them alone, she found out they were very unhappy. Her sisters felt jealous when they saw her looking like a princess and more beautiful than ever. Elder sisters went to the garden to vent about this distressing turn of events.  

Said one to the other, in what way is this little creature better than us, that she should be so much happier and living such a better life? “Sister,” said the eldest. “A thought strikes my mind. She told us of the promise to stay only for one week. Let us try to keep her beyond the week. Perhaps the monster will be so angry for breaking her word that he will devour her.”

“Right, sister,” answered the other. They went back to the house and behaved so affectionately to their sister that poor Beauty wept for joy. When the week was past, they cried and tore their hair, and seemed so sorry to part with her that she promised to stay a week longer.

Beauty felt sad about the idea of hurting the Beast, whom she loved and missed. On the tenth night at her father’s house, she had a vivid dream. In the dream, she saw the Beast alone in the garden, looking sad and possibly dying. Overwhelmed, she sat up in bed and cried. She questioned if she was heartless for treating the Beast badly when he tried so hard to make her happy. She understood that he didn’t choose how he looked.

He is kind and caring, and I like spending time with him. Why did I reject his marriage proposal? I would be happier than my sisters with their partners. A good husband is measured by kindness and thoughtfulness, which the Beast has in abundance. With these thoughts, Beauty put the ring on the mirror and fell asleep again.

The next morning, she was excited to be in the Beast’s palace. Dressed in her best gown, she looked forward to the evening. But when the clock struck nine, the Beast still hadn’t come. Beauty began to worry that her decisions might have hurt him.

She ran through the palace, crying. After searching everywhere, she remembered a dream and hurried to the garden where she had seen him. To her surprise, she found the Beast lying still and thought he was dead. Overcome with emotion, she fell beside him. When she felt his heartbeat, she rushed to a nearby creek for water and splashed it on his head. The Beast slowly opened his eyes and said to Beauty, You broke your promise. I was heartbroken without you and stopped eating. Now that you are here, I can die happy.

Please, dear Beast, Beauty pleaded. Don’t leave this world. Stay alive and be my husband! I promise to love only you. As soon as she said this, the Beast transformed into a handsome young prince!

The Prince said a sorcerer had put a curse on him. The curse would break only if a young woman told him she loved him. He then called a merchant and his two daughters. The Prince married Beauty, and they lived happily ever after.

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