← Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
Hector & Sunny & The Giant Golden Easter Egg 💛 🐾 Bedtime Stories For Kids | Rewind
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Hello and welcome back to Koala Moon, a podcast of original bedtime stories and sleep meditations for kids designed to make bedtime a dream. If you think Hector is adorable and who doesn't? Imagine him looking after several fluffy baby birds. So yes, he also stars in tonight's story, which is of course Easter themed too. More eggs. But these ones are quite unique as they have been laid by a golden egg laying goose. Both Hector and Sunny, with the help of a certain silver squirrel, head to storybook land to take part in an Easter egg hunt. The clues to find the eggs are quite difficult, so let's see if the doggie duo can crack them, shall we? You might also be able to help, but you'll need to relax and be ready to listen in. So to get in the snoozy mood, let's take a lovely deep breath in and let it out this time. Breathe in and maybe give your body a little mini shake like you have a tail you're wagging. And if you're like Sunny, it's not just your tail that wags, it's your whole bottom, your legs, your back, and eventually your ears and your nose. But you don't have to go that far. Okay, hope you've had a nice little move around and now come to stillness, breathe in and feel the air whooshing down into your lungs and lifting your tummy. Lovely. Sigh it out. A couple more breaths like that and you'll all be set ready to snooze. It's time for me to begin Hector and Sunny and the Giant Golden Easter egg by Susannah McLaughlin. 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 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 cozy 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 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 Kuala 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. One beautiful sunny Easter morning, Hector woke up with a bark. The noise woke up Sunny, who was snoozing alongside him. They'd had a sleepover the night before as Sunny's owner was away for the long weekend. Oh, sorry, Sunny. Hector yawned. I always wake up with a bark on the holidays. It's kind of like an alarm, my Hector alarm that makes sure I wake up on time for all the fun. Sunny cast a lazy glance at the clock on the mantelpiece. It's 6:00am Hector. Ooo. She yawned. The fun won't start for ages. We can start our own fun then. Sunny. Hector grinned. Happy Easter. Happy Easter. Sunny yawned, rolling over to sitting and stretching her paws. There was a little tap, a tap, tap on the glass of the door that led through to the garden and the two dogs looked over and to the shadowy little figure showing through the frosted glass. I know who that is, Sunny mused. There's only one animal I know with a tail that Fluffy. Hector locked eyes with her and they both chorused together. Sydney. Sydney was their magical squirrel friend who always popped up when he had an adventure in store for them. He was kind of like their guardian angel, but much sillier. And instead of just looking after them, he sent them off into the world to have fun. Hector went to the door and stood on his back legs. He nuzzled the key to turn in the lock and pulled down on the handle so Sydney could come on in. The little squirrel was full of pep for such an early hour. His fur was shining extra silvery and his eyes glittering with excitement. Happy Easter, Hector and Sunny, Sydney said, wiping his tiny feet on the mat and flopping down beside Sunny. I've heard about the coolest event going on right now. I've been waiting by the door for you two to wake up just to tell you all about it. You're going to love it in storybook land for Easter Sunday. They're about to hold the best egg hunt ever. You won't believe what the prize is. I won't tell you though. I don't want to spoil it. He reached into his red bum bag and pulled out a little card. All you have to do is read this line and the portal will open and you can be on your way. How does that sound? Hector's ears had pricked in excitement and his tail was wagging uncontrollably. That sounds awesome. He said, doing a little four legged jig. But Sydney, Sunny said. Don't you want to come along? Sydney shook his head and checked his little gold wristwatch. Can't, he said. I've got a raccoon to send to Pizza Town, a family of badgers to transport to a garden party, and a bear to gift a magical Easter bonnet to. That's what I like doing most. You know that. Hector and Sunny nodded. They knew Sydney took his job as a magical squirrel travel agent very seriously. Thank you, Sydney, they said, clutching the card. No problem, pals. He grinned before scurrying out into the garden and disappearing up a tree. Hector and Sunny knew Sydney well enough to know not to watch for him coming back down. There'd be a portal to some far off land up there that he'd disappear into. Hector and Sunny looked at the piece of card left in their paws. It was pastel yellow with a lilac silk ribbon weaved into holes around its edge. It was painted with little tiny Easter eggs, one with soft pink and white stripes, one a pale blue with yellow spots, and a sage green one with little dots of glitter. Across the middle was printed a little poem. Hector and Sunny took a breath in locked eyes and chanted the line in unison. On this Easter day made for celebration, I do accept your egg hunt invitation as they finished, a swirling portal of pink and blue and yellow and green opened up on the floor in front of them. It shone and shimmered in the most delicious looking colours, the kind you'd see in a line of macarons in a bakery window. Shall we jump on in? Sunny asked. Yup, Hector said. He put his paws up at his chest, pushed out his front teeth and said, look, I'm an Easter bunch bunny. Then with a hop, he disappeared into the portal. Shrugging, Sunny put her paws up, pushed her teeth out and hopped right through after him. The two dogs landed on thick, sweet smelling grass that cushioned them perfectly. As they fell on their bums giggling, they looked around. What a beautiful place they'd found themselves in. Sunny could see why they called this Storybook Land. It looked like a scene right out of an illustration. The colours were light and bright and the sky was blue, dotted with poofy fluffy clouds like meringues. There were fairy tale cottages all around and a big silver castle up on the hill topped with blue domes of stained glass and circled by a moat of sparkling blue dotted with friendly crocodiles sunning themselves on the water's surface. Hector and Sunny headed across a couple of cobbled streets to a big square where a brass band was playing lively music that rom pom pommed as animals and humans sat around waiting, sipping from fancy goblets of apple juice brought by mustachioed waiters in poofy clothes. As Hector and Sunny sank into a sunny spot outside a shop selling magical plants and cauldron cleaning supplies, the band made a trumpeting announcement and a ginormous white goose waddled up onto the stage. Welcome one. Welcome all to the Great Storyland Easter Hunt. The goose called across the crowd. We are about ready to begin. I have scattered eggs across Storybook Land and I shall provide participants with clues to find them. Whoever brings the most eggs back to me shall win the grand prize. With this, the goose spread a big gold tipped feathery wing and moved to show what was hidden behind her. A fresh golden egg laid by me this very morning. Hector and Sunny's jaws dropped. The egg was huge and polished and made out of pure gold. It looked like it weighed a ton. She's a golden egg laying goose. Sunny whispered to Hector. I've only heard about them in storybooks. Hector raised his eyebrows and Sunny said, oh yeah, we're in Storybook Land. That makes sense actually. The goose asked everyone participating to step forward and Hector and Sunny lined up next to the other animals and humans who were raring to go. A small wicker basket appeared in front of them by magic. To Hector's right was a puppy who shook his paw and said, the name's Bond. Hector waited for the next part. James Bond. But it didn't arrive. So he said, hi, Bond, and introduced himself as Hector. There was a stack of cards by the goose's webbed feet, all in pretty pastel colours like the one they'd used to get here. The goose flapped her wings and the breeze created caused the cards to fly out into the crowd, one landing lightly in the hand of every participant. Let the egg hunt begin. The goose called before disappearing to the back of the stage. Hector caught their first clue and held it out to Sunny, who read it in a hushed voice. It read, Mary, Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockle shells and pretty maids all in a row. Hector scratched his chin. It's a nursery rhyme, he said. That's right, Hector, Sunny said, but we're in storybook land, so I think it's not just a rhyme here. I think it's a straightforward clue. I think we need to look for Mary, Mary, quite contrary, in her garden. I think that's where the egg must be. Glancing around at the crowds who were all consulting their cards and repeating their poems, Hector and Sunny took one another's paws and hurried out of the square. So, Hector, sunny said, we need to look for silver bells and cockle shells. Cockles? Hector said. Don't you eat those? They're like clams. Right? My owner always gets them when we go to the seaside. Yeah, sunny agreed. It's definitely unusual for a garden, but it does say Mary's contrary, so maybe she just likes unusual things. Hector and Sunny wound around cobble streets and country lanes, popping up on the tippy toes of their hind paws now and again to look over garden walls and fences. The first contained a pumpkin patch of enormous pumpkins big enough to be transformed into carriages. The second contained a vegetable patch with rows of potatoes and carrots, and then one huge beanstalk that reached all the way up into the sky. The third had a bed of pansy flowers with smiling faces, all gossiping amongst themselves. And the fourth, well, the fourth was quite contrary indeed. Sunny had thought the cockle shells and bells and and pretty maids might have been the names of regular flowers, but they weren't. Along the fencing were real clinking, tinkling bells making sweet sounds in the wind. Clam shaped shells were hung in between them, making lovely clacking noises as they tapped Together like castanets. The pretty maids were flowers, but not ones the dogs had ever seen before. They were like large daisies, but the centre of the flowers had pretty faces with batting eyelids and smiling pink lips. The other plants were just as weird as wonderful with twirling vines and trees with furry leaves. And in the corner snoozed a cat in a flowery bonnet. Mary herself was sitting on a swinging bench, working on some embroidery. She threw open her arms and welcomed the peeping dogs through the gate and into the garden. Hector asked her if she might have an egg for them, but she just winked and put her finger on her lips. Sunny chuckled and set about searching for herself. They lifted petals and peered inside tree hollows and Sunny even stuck her nose down a rabbit warren, apologising when the bunny looked back at her in puzzlement. And then Hector found it. Nestled perfectly in a plant pot, mostly covered in soil with just the tip poking out, was a perfect yellow egg. The dogs made light work of digging it out and placed it gently in their basket. There was the sound of a blowing breeze, and over the fence drifted another card decorated in ribbon and printed with a clue. Sunny reached up with a paw and grabbed it, reading aloud to Hector. Little Jack Horner sat in a corner eating a Christmas pie. He put in his thumb and pulled out a plum and said, what a good boy am I. Hmm, Hector said. Who's Jack Horner and where's his corner? Sunny added. Hector shot a look at Mary. Mary, quite contrary. Maybe we can ask her, he said. Sunny approached Mary and asked her in his sweetest voice, where might we find Little Jack Horner's house? Please, Mary. Mary grinned. Over the billy Goat's bridge, past the weeping willow and left of the Three Little Pigsty, she said, adding, good luck. And so off they went. They followed the river to the bridge and crossed it, dancing a little to the jaunty tune the troll was humming underneath. Then they passed the weeping willow, marvelling at its long curtain of branches. And then they turned left at the pigsty and found a little fairy tale cottage with honeysuckle running up its wooden beams. The scent of plum pie drifted out towards them on the breeze. Hector knocked on the door and and the two pups were ushered inside by Jack's kindly mum. There in the corner of the room with the pie on his knee, was little Jack Horner himself. The dogs bounded over to the boy who gave them pets and tickles to say hello. Do you have an egg for us? Hector asked. Jack said, no, not that I know of shooting a mischievous look at the pie. Its in the pie, hector said. Am I right, Sunny? Have I cracked it? Sunny nodded wisely. I think you are, Hector. You better put a thumb in the pie. Like the rhyme said. Dogs don't have thumbs. So Hector plunged his whole paw into the pie and out it came, clutching an egg coated in sweet plum jam. Jack clapped his hands and Sunny cheered as Hector dropped the egg in their basket. There was a tap at the window and the dogs and the boy looked up to see a little card bouncing at the window as if trying to get in. Jack's mom opened the window and in it came, drifting on an invisible breeze. Can I read it for you? Jack said, and the dogs nodded, taking a seat in front of him. Hickory dickory dock. The mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck one. The mouse ran down. Hickory dickory dock. The pups had heard the rhyme before, but they had no idea where to find the clock in question. Jack Horner had a look of knowledge on his face. Where is it, Jack? Sunny asked. I won't give it away, he said, but all I'll say is that it's somewhere where being on time is very important. Hector and Sunny thanked him and his mum and then trotted out on their merry way. Where is it important to be on time? Hector mulled. Sunny looked out at the town spread out on the other side of the river. Well, I wouldn't want to be late for a concert, she said. Or a wedding or a council meeting. Hector pointed at the spire rising from the centre of the town. That place looks official. They'd have all of those things there. Sunny threw her paws around Hector. Yes, the town hall. You're right. Clever boy. Hector wagged his tail in pride. The two of them headed back into town, crossing the Billy Goats Bridge and passing taverns, shops, and tea rooms. There, in the centre of the square they'd earlier found themselves in, was the town hall. They scurried up the stairs, dipping out of the way when a blushing bride and groom burst out of the double doors in a shower of confetti. Once the coast was clear, they shook the rose petals from their ears and pushed through the doors. The town hall was lovely and peaceful, with just a friendly dragon behind the desk who welcomed them to look around as much as they'd like. And so they did in the meeting room. There was nothing in the concert hall. Nothing either. But then, as they began to trot up the stairs, they heard the deep bong of a grandfather clock. Once, twice, and by the time they'd run up the remaining stairs. The final chime rang out and a mechanical sound scraped and ground as the cogs turned and with a ping out, shot the cuckoo. Only it wasn't a cuckoo. It was a mouse. And in his paws, raised overhead, was a perfect pink egg. Excellent timing, the mouse said, throwing the egg into the air and watching it as it landed in their basket. Oh, but look at the time. He squeaked, craning his neck to look at the clock face beneath his perch. The hunt is almost over. You've got to return the eggs at the castle. Just head out and follow the yellow brick road. Hector and Sunny thanked the mouse as he ran back into the clock and the mechanism shut once more before leaving the town hall. One road leading out of the square was indeed buttercup yellow. It was lined with daffodils on either side and wound out of town, across the moat and up the hill to the castle. And so Hector and Sunny skipped their way along the path, waving to the crocodiles in the moat and heaving themselves up the hill. Other egg hunters were headed in the same direction, but the pups were yet to see any full baskets. Not five minutes later, they found themselves in a beautiful courtyard decorated with spring flowers in all the softest Easter colours. There was bunting in light gingham strung between the stone pillars, and a huge crest was painted on the wall with swirling script that read Storybook Land, surrounded by flying dragons and rising phoenixes and elegant unicorns. The same brass band was playing, welcoming the egg hunters who were tapping their feet and nodding their heads. Sunny took a sneaky peek into the baskets they were holding and saw an egg here and there, but no one had more than that, apart from the puppy Bond, who they'd seen earlier, who had one in each paw that he was waving above his head. The music ended with a final trumpet and the majestic goose took back to the stage. Greetings, egg hunters, she called, and everyone responded with a cheer. She asked if they had had fun, and everyone chorused yes. With huge grins on their faces. It's time to announce the winner. Or should I say winners? Who will be the golden egg? Everyone oohed in excitement. The winners are Hector and Sunny, who recovered three eggs. Congratulations. Hector and Sunny squealed and high fived, then jumped as a marching band began behind them, escorting them up onto the stage. Up close, the golden egg was even mightier than they thought, and so shiny Hector wanted to reach for his sunglasses. Happy Easter, the goose whispered, passing them the egg, which they had to lift up together. Below them, the inhabitants of Storybook Land cheered too, clapping their hands and dancing to the music. And to the rest of you, the goose called, happy Easter. Their wicker baskets magically emptied. And then in every basket appeared piles of chocolate eggs wrapped in shiny paper. And without further ado, I'd like to announce our special guest. Everyone, welcome. The Easter Bunny. Hector and Sunny spun around to see their old friend the Easter Bunny climb up on stage. They wrapped the bunny in hugs and she whispered, well done, friends. I knew you could do it. An hour later, after having danced and played and eaten hot cross buns with butter, something caught Sunny's eye. A swirling pastel coloured portal had opened up in the corner of the courtyard. Looks like it's time to go, Sunny said, taking Hector's paw and leading him to the portal. They held the giant gold egg between them as they hopped into the portal and landed back on the living room rugged of Hector's house. An hour later, Hector's owner came down from his room, yawning and stretching. It was nearly 10 o' clock in the morning. He was muttering to himself about how surprised he was that he'd managed to have a lie in on Easter Sunday. Usually Hector barked himself awake at the crack of dawn and came bounding up for cuddles. But there Hector was, curled up on the carpet like a golden croissant with his best friend Sunny beside him, and both of them were fast asleep and snoring softly. Their tummies were moving up and down in unison, and every now and then a paw twitched or a tail wagged, so he knew the dogs were having sweet dreams. So Hector's owner tiptoed through to the kitchen, made a cup of tea and got comfy on the sofa, intent on letting the dogs sleep a little longer before the festivities began. Watching the snoozing pups and giving them gentle, soothing strokes on their soft heads made him yawn, and soon he too was falling back to sleep. He was so comfy and sleepy that he didn't even notice the giant shiny egg now taking pride of place on his mantelpiece, made from pure glimmering.