Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge, is to read a CBeebies Bedtime Story to mark Children’s Mental Health Week (7th-13th February). The Duchess has chosen to read The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark by Jill Tomlinson to align with this years’ theme of ‘Growing Together’.

Children’s Mental Health Week is a key national moment for spotlighting and recognising children’s mental health. This year children and adults are being encouraged to consider how they have grown emotionally, recognising that trying new things can help people move beyond their comfort zones, and that challenges and setbacks can help them to mature and adapt.

The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, illustrated by Paul Howard, follows the story of Plop, a baby barn owl, who is helped by others to grow in confidence and overcome his fears.

Patricia Hidalgo, Director of BBC Children’s and Education says: “I couldn’t be more proud to have The Duchess read a CBeebies Bedtime Story as we mark the 20th anniversary of our CBeebies and CBBC channels. It’s such a special and relevant tale and perfectly represents this years’ Children’s Mental Health Week theme. I can’t wait to see her deliver her own take on such a classic story and I’m sure our audience can’t either.”

The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark read by The Duchess of Cambridge will air at 6.50pm, Sunday 13 February.

CBeebies and CBBC celebrate 20 years on air on Friday 11th February.