It seems the tradition of bedtime stories for children is disappearing in Britain. A study from online retailer Littlewoods.com shows a third of parents do not read bedtime stories. It also said 50 per cent of kids prefer watching TV or playing computer games. Just five per cent of British under-sevens do not own a book. Reasons for parents not reading stories include a lack of time (13%), stress (9%), and children not being interested.

Littlewoods and a British pop star will try to end this trend. They started a bedtime story competition for under-sevens. The singer is excited to read the kids' stories. She said choosing a winner wouldn't be easy. She spoke about the joy she got from reading bedtime stories to her kids. Littlewoods said it understood how important it is for parents and kids to spend quality time together. It said bedtime stories are a great way to do just this.