Aladdin

Quick Answer

Why This Story Works for Bedtime

Best as a chapter story for older kids: it has clear cliffhangers, wonder, and a satisfying ‘home and heart’ ending. Read slowly, it becomes a nightly adventure without rushing.

Story Synopsis

Aladdin is known for daydreaming and playing in the streets, even after his father dies and his mother worries about their future. One day a richly dressed stranger appears, claiming to be a relative. He flatters Aladdin, buys him treats, and leads him far outside the city—toward a hidden place no one is meant to find. There, the stranger reveals his true aim: he wants Aladdin to enter an underground chamber and retrieve a lamp. The task seems simple, but it is a trap. Aladdin is sealed inside with treasures glittering all around him, and only his courage—and his wits—can help him survive. When the lamp is finally rubbed, a genie appears, able to grant astonishing wishes. Suddenly Aladdin’s life changes: food arrives, comfort returns to his mother, and Aladdin begins to imagine a different future. But the same magic that lifts him up also attracts envy and danger. As Aladdin moves between humble beginnings and the palace world, he faces a villain who will lie, steal, and threaten everything Aladdin loves. The story turns on what Aladdin chooses to do with power: whether he becomes greedy—or becomes brave, loyal, and wise. It’s a classic tale of wonder and consequence: magic opens doors, but character decides what happens next.

Story Excerpt

In a city of the East, there once lived a tailor who had a son named Aladdin. Aladdin was a carefree boy who preferred playing in the streets with his friends to learning a trade. This worried his father, who passed away while Aladdin was still young. Despite his mother’s pleas, Aladdin continued his idle ways. One afternoon, as Aladdin played, a stranger dressed in fine robes approached him. “ Are you not the son of Mustapha the tailor? ” he asked. Aladdin confirmed that he was. The man’s eyes filled with tears as he embraced the boy. “ I am your uncle, ” he declared, “ your father’s long - lost brother. I have been traveling for forty years, and I have returned to find you. ” Aladdin ran home to tell his mother, who was surprised. “ Your father had a brother, ” she said, “ but I believed he was gone forever. ” That evening, the man arrived bearing gifts of fruit and sweets. He spoke fondly of his brother and promised to help Aladdin. “ I will open a fine shop for you, stocked with the richest goods, ” he offered. Aladdin and his mother were overjoyed. The next day, after buying Aladdin a handsome new suit of clothes, the man led him through beautiful gardens far outside the city gates, until they reached a narrow valley between two mountains. Aladdin, tired from the long walk, asked to turn back. But the man, who was not his uncle but a powerful magician, urged him onward with…

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