← Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
Arlo & Louie's Sleepy Den 🦊 💤 Sleepy Bedtime Stories For Kids
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Foreign. Hello and welcome back to Koala Moon, a podcast of original children's bedtime stories and meditations designed to make bedtimes a dream. Oh, we've got a lovely juicy list of shout outs. Tonight, we're saying hi and welcome to Peppa from California, Daphne and Quinn in Massachusetts. We've got yoto listeners Walker and siblings Henry and Cora. We've also got Barney, who's great at leaving lovely comments for us on supercars. Thank you, Barney. And he wants to say that he loves his brothers, Archie and Seamus. Finally, welcome to Alfie, Joe and Maeve in Mittagong, Australia. Guys, all of your extra stories for helping you sleep are now unlocked. Enjoy and sleep well. Okay, Koala Moon superfans. I wonder if you can recall the first ever story we wrote about the feisty little red fox brothers, Arlo and Louie. It was released four years ago. Can you believe that? So I forgive you if you've forgotten, but look it up. It's called Go to sleep, Little Foxes. It's all about how their mum gracefully copes with their sleeplessness and their desire to stay up late and play. They are real bundles of energy. They're full of big ideas and fun plans and, well, it seems not much has changed for tonight. Arlo and Louis have a brilliant idea. To build their very own sleepy den beneath an old oak tree. There's just one problem. They can't agree on how it should look. Arlo dreams of fairy lights and crackling fires, while Louis Dream imagines quiet corners and shelves of books. When their disagreement threatens to spoil their plans, their mum teaches them a simple but powerful word. Compromise. Will the two little fiery red storm clouds find a way to meet in the middle and finally discover what makes them truly sleepy? Let's find out in a moment once we've got you ready to rest and listen. So, as you lie in bed, take a deep breath in and pull your shoulders up to your ears. As you let your breath out, sigh and drop your shoulders away from your ears. And again, take a deep breath in and pull your shoulders up to your ears and sigh it out, dropping your shoulders. Now you're going to gently roll your shoulders and eventually jiggle everything whilst you're lying in bed. So roll your shoulders back and jiggle your fingers, your toes, your head, your arms and legs, hands, feet and your belly. Okay, now you can stop jiggling. Yup. Stop jiggling and take another lovely breath and continue to breathe in and out naturally as I fly you over to Sleepy Forest and begin Arlo and Louis's Sleepy Den by Luke Prendergast. Before we begin, a quick message for the grown ups. If you'd like to support our podcast, enjoy ad free listening, unlock four bonus stories per month and much, much more. You you can join Koko Club subscribe in just two taps via the link in the show notes, but now here's a quick word from our sponsors. Hey Cosy Koalas, I have some very exciting news. It's Snaffle's birthday this month, April 20th in fact, and he's so excited he's decided to give you a present. And stay tuned for a very special invite too. To celebrate, we're offering 20% off our our yearly Coco Club subscription. A little birthday treat from Snaffles to you. If you didn't know already, Coco Club is our premium subscription of ad free listening, bonus episodes and loads of other fun extras. That means uninterrupted adventures with Potato and Beans, journeys with Hector and Sunny, and magical moments with Coco and Kira. Plus our special premium series Cappy and Tito, all ready to play. He'll also unlock over 500 episodes, all completely ad free ready whenever it's time to snuggle down to a bedtime story. No interruptions, just calm, cosy storytelling. But that's not all. Snaffles has been busy planning the most magical birthday party in the Koala Kingdom, and he keeps asking if you'll be there. That's right. If you join our yearly subscription in the next few weeks, not only will you get a shout out on the show, you'll also be included in a very special birthday story right here on Koala Moon. So grown ups, when you join our yearly subscription and send in your proof of purchase along with your child's name by the 20th of April, we'll include them in a very special birthday story featured here on Koala Moon. They'll then be right there at the celebration alongside Snaffles and some very special Koala Kingdom guests. All you need to do after joining is to send in your proof of subscription to CocoAlakids FM along with your name by the 20th of April. This way we'll know who to make a guest of honour. Grown Ups, if you're listening on Spotify or yoto, you'll find everything you need to subscribe in the show Notes or if you listen on Apple Podcasts, just tapsubscribe on your podcast player. See you there. Just as you might guess by the name of the place, many of the creatures who live in Sleepy Forest are just that sleepy Hedgehogs curl up and hibernate under hedgerows, badgers snooze happily with their tummies full of cupcakes, and koalas cuddle up in cosy wooden cabins nestled deep inside the woods. But as with all truths, there are exceptions. And whilst as the sky darkens and evening settles over the treetops, most sleepy foresters begin to yawn and rub their eyes and get ready for bed, there are some who find it a little harder to settle down to sleep. Take, for instance, these two fidgety young foxes, Arlo and Louis. There might have been any number of reasons why, as bedtime approaches, these pair of brothers found themselves unable to wind down for the night. Maybe it was because, being foxes, they were naturally nocturnal, which meant they liked to be awake at night. Maybe it was because, being young kits, their minds were often whirring with a longing for games and play and adventure. Or maybe, as their mother sometimes wondered, it was just because they loved causing her a little bit of a nuisance. Because their bright red coats were so soft and fluffy. Everybody in Sleepy Forest referred to Arlo and Louis as the the Little Red Clouds, but lately their mum had taken to calling them fondly, of course, the Little Red Storm Clouds because of what a mess they could make of the den. Just this evening, while Mother Fox was busy trying to dust down the kitchen with her bushy white tip tail, Arlo and Louie were engaged in a good bit of play, wrestling on the floor. They tumbled this way and they tumbled that way, and at last they tumbled right into the leg of the dinner table, upending a bowl of walnuts and hazelnuts and making them go skittering in every direction across the floor. That's it, mother Fox said abruptly, her tail suddenly pointing straight up to the ceiling, which was a definite sign that the time for fun and games was over. That's enough rough and tumble out, both of you. I think a long evening walk through the forest to get rid of some of that energy is what the two of you need. Out. Mother Fox opened the door, and as Arlo and Louie trotted past her, she planted little kisses on top of each of their heads, for even though she might be a little frustrated, she was their mother and she loved them. I wish someone could find a way, she said as she waved her boys goodbye, to make you two get sleepy at night, Harlow and Louis set off through Sleepy Forest. The sky above them was perfectly pink, the kind of pink the sky only becomes for a brief couple of minutes each evening before it dips to Purple and blue and black. A woodpecker rat, a tat, tapped on a nearby tree trunk, and the gentle spring breeze made the ocean of bluebells that had sprung up across the forest floor nod their heads as if saying hello. If you cocked your head and listened very closely, you might even be able to hear their blue flowers tinkling as though they were truly tiny bells. But Arlo and Louis were not listening closely enough to hear the sound, because as they padded along, they were passionately debating the very question their mother had posed on their way out. The only way to get me to fall asleep, louis said, would be to put a special switch in my brain so that when you tugged my ear, I'd just turn right off. No way. Arlo shook his head. That's impossible. Maybe chasing a squirrel around the whole universe three times would do it. Maybe that would finally tire me out, louis sniffed. For me, it would be drinking four or five ginormous vats of hot chocolate, so my tummy was so warm and full that I had no option but to sleep it off. Oh, he said, suddenly stopping in his tracks. What's that? The pair of them had been so wrapped up in their debate that without realising it, they'd taken a path into a forest glade that they'd never visited before. That was not such a cause for surprise in itself. After all, Sleepy Forest was such a magical and mysterious place that you were often stumbling across secrets and hidden woodland gems you'd never seen before. But what had taken Louis by surprise was that in the huge round trunk of a giant oak tree growing in the centre of the glade was an old, rickety wooden door. An old, rickety wooden door. That's what had taken the fidgety foxes so much by surprise. A door in a tree trunk wasn't such an unusual sight in Sleepy Forest, since many of the creatures lived inside the wide spaces within the trees. Just like their friend Snaffles, who lived inside a tree trunk with a bright red door. No, what made Arlo and Louis pause was the feeling that seemed to surround the rickety wooden door. A strange and soothing magic seemed to flow from the door, suffusing the whole forest glade. The air seemed to shimmer softly, the silver leaves of the trees rustled, and in the distance came the low hoot of an owl. The magic of this glade, it made them feel calm, content and curious. Let's take a look at what's inside, arlo whispered. He was always the slightly more adventurous of the brothers. He padded up to the rickety wooden door, his tail swishing this way and that, and nudged it open with his nose. The door let out a creak. Inside it was dark, but as Arlo and Louis peered through the door, the light of the twilight sky illuminated a little set of steps leading to a tiny little hollow in the earth beneath the tree. It was as though once upon a time in the far off past, someone had started to build a home beneath the oak tree and then given up. Arlo and Louis looked at each other and in the way brothers often could, somehow they knew they were having exactly the same thought that this little hollow would make the perfect and most cosy sleepy den ever. Well, you two seem to have rather calmed down, said Mother Fox when Arlo and Louis got back home and said they were heading to bed. It seems like going out for a long evening walk to tire the two of you out was spot on. Oh yes, Mum, they said sweetly, in unison. But the truth was they weren't tired, not just yet. They were simply quiet because their minds were full of a brand new plan. As it turned out, big plans required a lot of work. Over the next few days, Arlo and Louis spent every spare minute they had in that new woodland glade. They propped open the wooden door with a big mossy stone they found and then began to dig out their den. It was the first den the kits had ever dug for themselves, and they soon discovered that even though digging was what foxes do, it was still pretty tough work. When they got home the first evening, their paws were thick with mud and little beads of sweat still clung to the red fur of their foreheads. Mother Fox laughed when she saw them and shook her head. You see, little ones, she said, digging is not as easy as it seems, even for us foxes who are designed for digging. So they decided to take turns with the hard work. While Arlo dug beneath the old oak tree, Louis took the big mound of earth that he had excavated and made it into a large flower bed in one corner of the glade. Then he trotted about Sleepy Forest, collecting up fallen flower seeds and bulbs and planted them in the fresh earth. It would be very nice, he decided, to have a beautiful flower bed next to their new sleepy den. When Arlo got tired of digging, Louis took over while his brother lay in the glade, letting blue and yellow butterflies land on the soft white fur of his belly. Four long days it took them to dig out their den, but when it was done, they stood back, wiping their foreheads with their chests puffed out proudly, and surveyed their grand achievement What a den it was, with a big open chamber and lots of cosy little nooks and crannies coming off it. They'd compacted the earth to make sure the walls were solid and watertight, and they'd laid a wooden stairway that led from the rickety wooden door down into the chamber of the den. It was, Arlo and Louis agreed, perfect. Now all that was left was to decorate it with the cosiest furniture ever. But about that, it turned out they could not agree. Arlo began by describing his perfect cosy hideaway. A floor covered in blankets, speakers in the walls playing soft and calming music, a crackling fire. There would be twinkling fairy lights strung along the ceiling and a fridge full of delicious bedtime snacks. It was the perfect midnight slumber den. Oh no, Louis sighed, wrinkling his nose. That's not what I had in mind at all. And then he went on to describe how he had imagined their sleepy den would be. A shrine to peace and quiet. Nothing too flashy. No fairy lights or music playing or the sound of crackling fires. Just an armchair, a shelf full of books and a little rug to curl up on. No fuss, no distractions. Just them and their books. That sounds rather boring, Arlo said. And not fun or enchanting at all. Oh dear. It seemed they had rather different ideas of what they wanted for their sleepy den. They discussed it all the way back home, but whichever ideas Arlo suggested, Louis shook his head at. And whenever Louis proposed something, Arlo would say that wasn't what he wanted at all. At this rate, they would never be able to complete their sleepy den. Perhaps after all of that, their mother had been right. Perhaps there was simply no way in the whole world for them to get sleepy before bed. They were still disagreeing about it when they got home and took their seats at the table. Their mum put down a big steaming dish of delicious woodland vegetable pie in the middle of the table. It was, Arlo and Louis absolute favourite. At exactly the same time, they each raised a paw and pointed at the portion of the pie right in the middle of the dish, which was the one, they both knew that would have the most veggies in it. Can I have that piece? They said at once. Then they glanced at each other, blinking. Oh dear. First they couldn't agree about how to decorate the den, and now they both wanted the same piece of pie. I said it first, arlo said, glancing at the ceiling, because he knew that maybe he wasn't telling the truth. No, you didn't, Louis replied. We said it at exactly the same time. Well, what are we going to do then? Asked Arlo grumpily. We both want it. We can't both have it. Louis stuck out his lower lip. Maybe Mother Fox should have it. If we can't both have it, then neither of us should have it. And they both sat there pouting rather unhappily. Mother Fox made a tutting noise with her teeth. My, my, she said. What has got into the two of you? Look, watch this. She picked up the big spoon and very carefully sliced the central, much desired portion of pie in half. Then she cut another, less desired portion of pie in half, too. She scooped up half of each and put them on Louis plate. Then she scooped up the other half of each and put them on Arlo's plate. See? She said. Now you really can both have it. Arlo and Louis stared at their plates, their bushy eyebrows raised. They looked like mirror images of each other. Neither of them had thought of doing that. Smiles crept slowly over their faces. Their mother's intervention appeared to have worked. Do you know what the word for that is? Mother Fox asked them. They shook their heads. No, they replied. What was the word for it? Compromise, she said. They repeated the word. Compromise. What a crafty trick that was. Exactly. Mother Fox said. Compromise means meeting in the middle. And if I were you, I'd try the same trick when it comes to your den. Arlo and Louis gazed at each other across the table. Their smiles had spread into great big ones. Compromise about their den. Now that was certainly an idea. They tucked merrily into their pies, and both of them were rather surprised to discover that they enjoyed the slice neither of them had wanted quite as much as the one they both had. Funny how that works, isn't it? The next day they walked through sleepy forest to their new den, feeling rather cheery. When they got there, they climbed down the little wooden staircase beneath the oak tree and surveyed the underground hollow. Once more. They would come to a compromise. They would find a way of meeting in the middle. They would make their sleepy den just as cosy as Arlo wanted it and just as calm as Louis. Once they'd decided upon their compromise, they went about the forest, collecting up all that they needed. They visited Buck the Beaver, the best woodworker in the kingdom, who gave them a beautifully carved bookcase decorated with etchings of berries and vines. They went to the Home Sweet Home Hotel, where the owner, Pickle the Frog, gave them a blue armchair they no longer needed. They went to the Evergreen Department Store, where they bought some twinkling fairy lights. For the rest of the day they worked hard getting their den in order. They dug fresh holes and chiseled alcoves. They strung lights and hung pictures. At last, when they finally finished it and clambered out, twilight had fallen over the forest. The curious birds who'd all along been watching them work from their perches on the branches of the trees, had tucked themselves into their nests and the soft glow of the koala moon filtered down from above. Arlo and Louis looked down at their handiwork. They were really rather pleased. Then they turned to each other and, seeing the blossoming smiles on each other's faces, gave each other a big hug. What a wonderful compromise. They had come to. Their den had the cosy blankets and fairy lights and toasty fire that Arlo had pictured, but it also had the armchair and bookcase that Louis had dreamed of. It was the perfect sleepy den. There's only one last thing to do, louis said. What's that? Asked Arlo. Louis pointed his black button nose towards the old rickety wooden door. That door needs some tidying up. Oh yes, arlo agreed. A lick of paint should do it. And I know just what colour it should be. Me too, louis said. And then Louis said, blue. At the exact same time as Arlo said, green. Oh no. They couldn't agree again. Don't worry, arlo said. I know what we can do. And not 20 minutes later they stood watching the wet paint dry on their brand new door. It was half blue and half green. They brought Mother Fox with them to show her their new den. When she saw the new door, she folded them both in a hug. That's compromise, she said. Then Louis let out a mighty yawn. A yawn that went on for so long that Arlo caught it too, and started yawning himself. Above them, the dark sky was a blanket of twinkling stars. Crickets chirruped in the forest, and somewhere far off an owl gave a hoot. It was nighttime. They'd had a long day. A long week, really, and now they were, at long last, actually tired. Wow. Whispered Mother Fox once their yawn was over. So there really is something that can make you too tired digging a den. Harlow and Louie smiled and nodded. Mother Fox said it was best that they went into the den and got some rest. They crept back down the stairs of their den. Oh, it was so cosy inside. Rugs and blankets lined the floor, pretty picture frames hung on the wall, and a fire crackled in the fireplace, filling the den with a soothing Sleepy warmth. Arlo curled up on the floor, burrowing deep inside a blue rug so soft it was like being wrapped up in clouds. That was just what he'd wanted from his sleepy den. Then, with a paw, he began to brush the long hair on his tail, untangling the knots that had accumulated in it during the day. Meanwhile, Louis had gone over to the bookcase. It was lined not only with his favourite books, their red and blue and yellow spines making a sort of rainbow across the wall, but also with little pine cones and acorns that had been dropped from the forest trees outside. They made cute little decorations for their den. For a little while, Louis browsed the shelf, wondering which book he might want to look at. When he chose one, he slipped it from its place on the shelf and climbed onto the soft blue armchair. He wrapped his long, bushy tail around his body, which he always did when he wanted to feel extra comfy. And with the book on his lap, he turned over the first page. I'd love to read a bedtime story, louis said, but I feel rather too tired. My eyes are heavy and I'm not sure I'd be able to read. Give it here then, Mother Fox said. I'll read it to you. Louis handed his mother the book and slipped off the armchair, joining his brother among the piles of blankets on the floor. He curled up nearby him in a perfect crescent, his nose to Arlo's tail and Arlo's tail to his nose, forming a small circle of warmth. He lay his bushy tail over Arlo's body to keep him extra warm, and Arlo flicked his ears appreciatively. He'd finished brushing his own tail, and now, very sleepily, he brushed out Louis tail too, which was a very kind thing for a brother to do. Meanwhile, Mother Fox had opened the book and began to read. It was a collection of myths about creatures who'd lived in the Koala kingdom at the beginning of time. This myth was about two koalas who met through a hedgerow. It was a beautiful story, but after only a few minutes, Arlo and Louis found that their eyes were heavy, their eyelids shutting involuntarily and their attention drifting away like blossoms in the breeze. They kept losing track of the words, and before long the words stopped altogether, for Mother Fox appeared to have fallen asleep in the armchair and was snoring very softly indeed. Deep down under the earth, it was like being in a soft cocoon. The noises from outside were muffled, but occasionally they could hear the hoot of an owl or the blowing of the wind, and around the edge of the door in the oak tree's trunk, they could see a fine line of silvery light, which told them that the koala moon was still shining down on them. The silver light made them feel very peaceful, for it reminded them that wherever they were at home or in their new sleepy den, they were watched over by the kind koala moon. Good night, Arlo, louis whispered. Good night, Louis, his brother replied. I'm so happy we made this den together. So am I, louis agreed. And I'm also glad that we learned all about compromise along the way. Yes, arlo said. And now, even though we will always disagree like brothers do, at least we can compromise. We can always compromise, louis said. And so the two fidgety foxes who were renowned in Sleepy Forest for never being sleepy at night yawned and stretched their tired limbs and closed their eyes. Within just a couple of minutes they were fast asleep, their proud little chests rising and falling gently. All night long they slept like that, nose to tail, in a little circle of cosiness and trust and compromise. Mother Fox slept on in her armchair, and all night long they dreamed beautiful, tranquil dreams about all the cosy evenings they would spend in the weeks to come in the warmth warmth of their sleepy den. Sam.