This summer, Talking Tots asked 1500 parents around the UK about their favourite bedtime stories. According to our survey, The Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson, is the favourite bedtime story of UK parents.

The Gruffalo is a perfect bedtime book, with colourful illustrations and lots of humour, said Talking Tots founder Lisa Houghton. The right story can give early communication skills a real boost, and research shows that children who regularly read bedtime stories have better communication, emotional and social skills.

Julia Donaldson added: I am absolutely chuffed that The Gruffalo came out tops in the Talking Tots Bedtime Story survey. I loved reading bedtime stories with my children, particularly the Frog and the Toad stories by Arnold Lobel, which are ideal bedtime reading.

To help parents make the most of every bedtime, Talking Tots has put together a guide for parents with advice on choosing appropriate stories for toddlers, and using bedtime stories to help stimulate communication and language skills.

Parents can get advice on choosing stories for young children at www.bedtimetots.com, and enter an exclusive competition to win hundreds of pounds in bedtime toys, books and accessories from ELC, Cossato, Little Princess, Numberjacks and Cuski.