Table of Contents: All Bedtime Stories
Listen to the Bedtime Story Daddy Bunting goes to Magpie Wood, based around our arrangement of the Nursery Rhyme Bye Baby Bunting. Here you can listen to excerpts of all stories (narrated by Peter Bradbury). You can read along with every story online on our website or you can download all story texts and soundtracks individually (MP3 + PDF). In addition, all 20 stories are available together as an illustrated eBook with audio included (our full package download).
Daddy and Mummy Bunting lived in a tiny cottage on the edge of the meadow next to Magpie Wood. They lived there with Baby Bunting, and a dog called … Dog. Mummy and Daddy Bunting were not very good at naming babies and dogs.
The Buntings were very poor, they had a small garden where they grew vegetables and Daddy Bunting used to chop wood which he sold to the people in the village on the other side of Magpie Wood.
One day Mummy Bunting told Daddy Bunting that Baby Bunting needed some new clothes and they had no money. Oh dear, what would they do? Daddy had a bad back, he couldn’t chop wood and wintertime was near and the baby would get terribly cold without any clothes.
There was only one thing for it. He decided to go hunting for some furs to make some clothes for Baby Bunting.
Off he went into Magpie Wood with his bow and arrow to look for something with fur. After a couple of hours he came across a rabbit. He raised his bow and arrow and was just about to shoot when a magpie landed on his shoulder. The magpie spoke to him. As you might guess this was quite a surprise. “Daddy Bunting,” said the Magpie, “please don’t shoot an arrow at the rabbit, he has a family just like you and if you shoot him who will look after Baby Rabbit?”
“But I need the rabbit’s fur to make some clothes for Baby Bunting,” said Daddy Bunting.
“If you let the rabbit live and return to his burrow you will have everything you need to buy new clothes for Baby Bunting,” said the Magpie.
“Go home to your cottage and remember this rhyme: One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told.”
Song:
One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a girl
And four for a boy
Five for silver
six for gold
Seven for a secret
Never to be told
Eight for a letter over the sea
Nine for a lover as true as can be
Bye Baby Bunting
Daddy Bunting felt very sorry for the rabbit, he didn’t want to hurt it so he went home without any fur.
To wrap his Baby Bunting in
Mummy Bunting was so angry that he had come home without any fur to make into clothes for Baby Bunting that she stamped off to bed.
Next morning Daddy Bunting opened his front door and looked into the Magpie Wood. On the big old tree there in front of him, a magpie landed and Daddy Bunting remembered the rhyme the magpie had taught him.
One for sorrow – well he certainly felt full of sorrow after yesterday. Then another magpie landed – can you remember what two was for? Yes, two is for joy. Then another landed making three, then another making four, and another making five and another making six magpies. Can you remember what six was for? Well, as the sixth magpie landed in the old tree a bag of gold magically appeared outside the cottage door.
So Daddy Bunting was able to buy some clothes for Baby Bunting after all. Just as Daddy Bunting picked up the bag of gold a seventh magpie appeared in the tree. Do you remember what seven was for? I won’t tell anyone, will you?
Seven for a secret never to be told. Night-night, Sleep Tight.
Song:
Bye, baby bunting
Daddy’s gone a hunting
Gone to get a rabbit skin
To wrap his baby bunting in
© 2015, written by Trevor Dobson