← Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
Jupiter Twins: The Magical Bookworm 🪄🐛 Relaxing Bedtime Stories For Kids | Rewind
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Hello and welcome back to Koala Moon, a podcast of original children's bedtime stories and meditations designed to make bedtime a dream. This evening we are heading back to the Magical Liora Academy with the Jupiter twins, Jake and Lily Jupiter, because they are curious about a special book they've heard about, and they're about to head off in search of it. But they discover more than they bargained for in the mysterious forgotten section of the library. Now, before I get started, let's make sure we're all as cosy and comfy as possible in bed. Do whatever your body needs to feel relaxed. Perhaps that's a little stretch or a wriggle or point your toes, scrunch up your face. Whatever it is, just get rid of all that excess energy from the day. And then, when you're ready, just let everything relax and dissolve into the mattress beneath you. That's right, breathing gently in and out. And let all your muscles go as soft and squidgy as possible. 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 2 taps via the link in the show notes, but now here's a quick word from our sponsors. Lovely. It's now time to begin. The Jupiter the Magical Bookworm by Elisha Ainslie. When Jake and Lily Jupiter first got their letters to invite them to attend the Leora Academy of Magic, they thought they were the only wizards in the family. But the more they dug into their family tree, the more they were beginning to suspect that wasn't the case. One Friday evening, whilst having dinner with their Uncle Baldric, the magical twins heard something that they thought might help confirm their suspicion. Uncle Baldrick claimed that they had a great, great, great, great aunt called Esmeralda, who was a pretty powerful sorceress. In fact, Esmerelda was apparently so powerful that the famous wizard Merlin himself had approached her for guidance. Lily asked Uncle Baldric what Esmeralda had helped the Great Merlin with, but Uncle Baldric couldn't recall the full story. He did, however, say that the tale of Esmeralda and Merlin had been detailed in a book he read as a child called Merlin's Mediocre Magic and Other not so Special Tales. If they got their hands on a copy of that book, they could find out the story for themselves. Jake wrote the name down on his hand so that he wouldn't forget. Lily and Jake were determined to track down a copy of the book and find out the full story of their great great great great aunt Esmeralda. Luckily, the Leora Academy had a remarkable library that was sure to have it. The next day, Lily and Jake Jupiter headed straight to the Leora Academy library to find the book. The library was bustling with visitors, checking out and returning books, studying at tables and browsing the bookshelves. Yet there was a hushed atmosphere all around. It was the quietest, busy place. Jake and Lily had been unsure of where to start looking in such a huge library. The Jupiter twins decided to ask someone who worked there for assistance. A tiny pixie with a look of concentration on her face, hair scraped back into a bun and spectacles on her nose buzzed around behind a desk. At first, the pixie ignored their presence as she was so engrossed in stamping books and ticking names off a list. But when Lily cleared her throat, the enchanted library assistant jumped and spun around to help them with a surprise squeak. Jake smiled his most charming smile and greeted the frazzled pixie. We're looking for a very specific book, he said. Do you happen to have it? He held out his hand for the pixie to read. The pixie squinted at the name scribbled on Jake's palm in faded ink and replied, hmm. I haven't seen that book around here in a long time. It's not particularly popular. What do you want it for? Jake explained that they had recently discovered that their great great great great aunt Esmeralda was a sorceress who had allegedly worked alongside the famous wizard Merlin. They believed that inside this particular book there was a tale depicting a magical task that Merlin and their great great great great aunt had accomplished together. They wanted to read it. The pixie raised her eyebrows. She scratched her chin and suggested, you could check our Z. That's where all the old history books that nobody's particularly interested in tend to lie. It might take you a while to find the book, though. I don't think anyone has sorted those shells in years. With that, the pixie fluttered off back behind her desk to get back to work tracking down late library books. Undeterred, Jake and Lily glanced at each other excitedly. Their next stop was aisle Z. The twins walked past the grand wooden study tables that dominated the entrance of the library and the comfy cushioned reading corner to begin the journey along the aisles of shelves. The Leora Academy boasted one of the largest enchanted libraries, and in the whole of the magical world, it was the perfect place for young wizards to read up on their craft. There were aisles upon aisles of wide towering bookshelves sporting novels, potion books, encyclopaedias, spell manuals and anthologies galore, it seemed never ending. Lily and Jake gazed down the long corridor that ran through the centre of each aisle. The aisles ran from A to Z and each letter spanned multiple rows. The length of the library was so long that they couldn't even see the other end where aisle Z must be. Lily and Jake took a deep breath and readied themselves for the long walk ahead. It would surely be worth it if they could find the book they were looking for at the end of it. The twins counted down the aisles as they walked past. A, B, C and D breezed by and they had a skip in their step as they glided along past E, F and G. H, I, J, K was when they started to realise they still had quite a way to go and L, M, N O P felt like they took forever to pass. Their feet were tired by the time they reached Q, R and S and they thought about giving up. As they approached T, U and V their morale perked up again by W X and they've practically raced past Y to finally reach aisle Z. There were so few Z books. This last letter had just the one row and was used to store old forgotten about tomes that just took up space in the other sections. Jake and Lily could see now why the Liora Academy library was known to be one of the biggest around, but they fought off stopping for a snooze and kept their goal in sight. Hopefully somewhere on the shelves of the forgotten about aisle Z the book they sought was waiting to be found. Il Z looked very different to the early isles. Whilst the aisles under A were brightly lit, dressed with colourful books and brimming with knowledge seekers, Isle Z was empty, lit by the golden light of a few cosy candelabras with a musty smell of paper hanging in the air. I can see now why nobody comes to aisle Z, Lily muttered. Its so far away that most people won't bother to delve this far. I feel sorry for the books on these shelves they are so dusty. Jake shushed Lily as he heard a shuffling sound coming from one end of the aisle. To Jake and Lily's surprise, tucked away between the dusty tomes illuminated intermittently by the flickering candlelight, was a bookworm. The bookworm had a chunky body in zebra striped colours of green and orange with fluffy neon green hair upon its head. It dressed its big beady eyes with a pair of round wooden rimmed glasses and it wore a little polka dotted tangerine bow tie on the front of its neck. The bookworm was reading peacefully, totally oblivious to Jake and Lily's presence. Should we ask him if he's seen the book? Lily whispered. Unsure of where to begin with their search, Jake answered, I dunno. Does he work here? Well, I don't know. Lily argued. Why don't you ask him? Jake turned around and called out to the peaceful bookworm, excuse me, do you work here? The bookworm flinched at Jake's sudden outburst and the enchanted library shelves shushed him, reminding him to keep his voice down. Jake giggled and covered his mouth. Oops, sorry, he realised before repeating in a whispered tone, do you work in the library, though? The bookworm glanced at the twins and then over its shoulder to check there was no one else behind that Jake could be speaking to. Surprised that Jake was indeed talking to him, the bookworm stuttered, er, no. I don't work here. I just seem like to read. Jake sighed and turned back to the bookshelves, scanning the titles on the spines of the dusty books. The pixie was right. The books on this aisle were all jumbled up and they clearly hadn't been read in a long time. It would be almost impossible to find the book they were looking for on these shelves. Lily stared at the disorganised shelves and moaned, there's no way we will find the book on shelves like these. It's like finding a needle in a haystack. Jake grunted with annoyance. See, this is why I don't read. The bookworm nearby overheard Jake's comment and looked shocked. You. You don't read. Oh, but you should. He exclaimed passionately. Reading is. Well, it's one of the best things you can do. It teaches you things and expands your mind. It exercises your. Your. Your imagination and allows you to escape the world for a while and to journey anywhere you want. Jake shrugged and replied, I quite like this world. Why would I want to escape it? The bookworm responded bashfully. The words in books are just as interesting as your own. The bookworm retreated into the novel he was reading and lifted it back up to cover his face, using the power of his mind. Bookworms didn't have arms but possessed telekinetic powers, which allowed them to move things magically. Noticing the bookworm's shyness, Lily decided to break the ice. I'm Lily, she blurted out. Lily Jupiter. And this is my brother Jake. The bookworm lowered his novel slightly and peeped over the pages to stare back at them with his beady eyes. I'm Eugene, the Bookworm replied. Lily smiled and approached Eugene. Since you're such a keen reader, I don't suppose you've seen this book around anywhere recently? We're looking for a book called Merlin's Mediocre Magic and Other not so Special Tales. Eugene the bookworm's eyes grew wide with surprise and he lowered his novel again. I have seen that book recently. He perked up. Not many people tend to read it. I'm not surprised with a very, very uninspiring title like that. But the stories inside are actually quite good. Good? It's just that they get overshadowed by the tales of Merlin's run ins with King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Eugene the bookworm began to crawl smoothly along the aisle, looking up at the higher shelves. He got about halfway along the aisle before he changed course and started to slither up the side of the bookshelves, sticking to the wood as easily as a fly on the wall. Up on the fourth shelf, Eugene spotted the book they were looking for. Using his telekinetic powers, he pulled the book out and lowered it to the ground into Jake's open hands. Lily and Jake grinned. This was great. The bookworm had turned out to be more helpful than the pixie who worked in the library. Eugene slid back to the ground and smiled. Happy to have helped. The Bookworm admitted. Fortunately, I have been gradually alphabetising the book in this aisle over time so they're a bit easier to find. Nobody ever bothers to come down here and take care of these books. They assume that they are unimportant so they're not taken care of. But I believe every book is worth respect and care, even the forgotten ones on Aisle Zone, Eugene asked Lily and Jake why they were seeking this book in particular, and they told him about how there was allegedly a story inside featuring their great great great great aunt Esmeralda. As soon as they mentioned her name, the bookworm gasped with recognition. He knew exactly which story they were referring to. He had read it not too long ago. Jake and Lily were delighted that the tale existed and that they hadn't come all this way for nothing. Eugene offered, hold out the book and I'll find the story for you. Jake did as he was asked and held the closed book out in his hands. Using his telekinetic powers, the bookworm magically flung open the front cover and rifled through the pages, eventually landing them open at the start of a tale. Alongside the title, there was a picture of a white bearded wizard meant to be Merlyn and an enchanting sorceress with long black hair and a dark blue dress. She must be Lily and Jake's great, great, great great aunt Esmeralda. Here we are. Eugene announced proudly. It's a great story. I think you'll really like it. I read it a few times and I always enjoy it. Lily and Jake were impressed by the bookworm's enthusiasm. And in that moment, Jake had an idea. Jake ventured, I don't suppose you could read it to us? Like I said before, I don't read much, but maybe if I heard the story told by someone so passionate about reading, I. I would enjoy the tale even more. Eugene. The bookworm beamed. He didn't get many opportunities to read stories to others. It was usually just him alone in aisle Z, reading to himself. The bookworm straightened his glasses and replied happily, all right then, if you insist. Eugene levitated the book out of Jake's hands over to himself, and Lily and Jake sat down on either side of him. They gazed at the pages of the book, admiring the images as Eugene began to read to them. This is the tale of the sorceress Esmeralda and the crystal orb. Eugene began. The great Merlin was a powerful wizard, but sometimes even those who are powerful need a helping hand. After all, no one can be good at everything. After acquiring a mesmerising crystal orb at the travelling fair, Merlin sought to uncover its hidden powers. Whenever he gazed deep into the centre of the orb, he could see flickers of white smoke dancing around, tempting him to learn what was within. He attempted spell after spell to try to reveal the orb's hidden magic. He tried casting fire onto the orb to see if a dragon or other mystical being lay inside, but nothing emerged. He waved his wand over the top of it, incanting revelation spells to prize out the orb's secrets, but to no avail. He even tried biting into the orb to open it up, but nearly cracked a tooth in the process. Merlin couldn't figure out what the orb was for. After weeks of failed attempts, Merlin asked his mystical friend Morgan Le Fay for advice. Morgan suggested Merlin visit the sorceress Esmeralda, who lived in a tent on the outskirts of the forest lands Esmeralda kept to herself, but she was happy to help any passers by who needed her assistance. She was known to be very smart and all knowing. Perhaps she would know what this elusive crystal orb contained inside. Merlin took his friend's advice and journeyed to the edge of the forest in search of the sorceress Esmeralda. After three days of traveling, he finally discovered her humble Sunshine yellow tent perched on the edge of a cliff top. He walked through the doorway of hanging crystals that jangled from the tent entrance and was greeted by the all knowing sorceress Esmeralda. Esmeralda was pleased to make Merlin the Wizard's acquaintance and welcomed him into her tent. To Merlin's surprise, the exterior of the small tent was an illusion. The inside was huge with many different rooms and compartments full of mystical knick knacks tables and chairs and elaborate tea sets. Merlin described to the sorceress why he had come to seek her help and showed her the perplexing crystal orb. The sorceress Esmeralda sat down and gently placed the orb on the table before her. She gazed into its murky misty interior and watched the wispy tendrils of smoke gracefully swirl within. Instinctively, the sorceress began to wave her hands over and around the orb, magically manipulating the mists inside. After a few moments, she smiled with wonder and Merlin asked.
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What is it? What are you smiling about?
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Without taking her eyes off the orb, Esmeralda replied, you'd better duck. Merlin was confused. Why should he duck? Then all of a sudden, a bird flew quickly through the open doorway into Esmeralda's tent and dove straight towards Merlin's pointed hat. The wizard tried to dive out of the way as fast as he could, but he wasn't quite quick enough. The bird clipped the end of his pointed hat, sending it toppling off his head. Esmeralda laughed and said, I told you to duck. Merlin picked up his hat and dusted.
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It off, asking, how did you know that was going to happen?
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Esmeralda finally looked up from the orb and explained, I foresaw it in the orb. Merlin gasped, in the orb? But how? All he ever saw in the orb was smoke. Esmeralda explained that this orb was special. It allowed some sorcerers to see the future. Merlin was awestruck. He had never been able to see the future. Perhaps this magical orb could help him become even more powerful.
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How do I use it?
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He begged Esmeralda.
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I want to be able to see the future.
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Esmeralda sat Merlin down in front of her and offered to help him learn. It would take a lot of patience and focus to tap into what was hidden within the orb. But if he was willing to put in the work, he just might be able to see the future like she could. Although she hastened to add, he may never be able to see the future if the powers that be did not allow him to. Not everyone was granted this special gift. After all wizards couldn't be good at everything. For 30 days and 30 nights, Merlin studied with the sorceress Esmeralda, attempting to learn her craft and read the future in the crystal orb. However, no matter how much he tried, Merlin simply did not have the gift. He could see nothing amongst the orb swirling smoke. By the time the next full moon came around, Merlin resorted to giving up on his endeavour. He thanked Esmeralda for her time and prepared to finally leave her tent. As he was leaving, Esmeralda called out, wait, Merlin, you're forgetting your crystal orb. Merlin glanced back and smiled, suggesting that she keep it.
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He said, you can put that magical orb to much better use than I can use it to help people read their futures and guide them towards the life of their dreams.
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With that, Merlin left Esmeralda's tent, never to return again. But every now and then on his travels, Merlin did hear word of a sorceress who could see the future and regularly helped others. She brought peace and happiness to all who visited her by staring into her magical quiet crystal ball. Just like Merlin said. The bookworm closed the book and smiled, satisfied. The end, he proudly concluded. Jake and Lily instinctively clapped their hands in quiet applause. Lily whispered, wow, that was a great story. And if I must say, you're a very good storyteller, Eugene. Jake concurred, yeah, I could listen to you read stories all day. The bookworm blushed a little and his green cheeks tinged pink with gratitude. He hadn't shared his storytelling with anyone before. He had assumed it was just something he liked to do for himself. He'd never thought that anyone else would want to listen to him. Jake and Lily were grateful to Eugene for making the story of their great great great great aunt so much more. Enjoy. As they prepared to leave Aisle Z with the book they came for, they started to feel sorry for Eugene. They didn't want to leave him behind. Lily decided to make the bookworm an offer. Eugene, she said, its such a shame to see you hide away in the back of Isle's head. Why don't you walk to the front of the library with us? You could read your stories in the main reading area instead. You could probably teach others a thing or two and share these forgotten books with the students. Eugene paused and considered Lily's suggestion. Are you sure I wouldn't be imposing? I don't want to bother anyone. Jake smiled and replied, you could never bother anyone. Besides, we could use some company on the long walk back to aisle A. Maybe you could tell us another story on the way. Eugene grinned and his big eyes twinkled with excitement. All right then, I will come with you. The bookworm agreed enthusiastically. Goodbye, Aisle Z. I'll see you soon. I promise I won't forget about you. The bookworm followed Jake and Lily out of aisle Z, and the trio made their way along the long stretch back to the front of the library. Eugene used his magical skills to float stacks of old forgotten books behind him, bringing them once more towards the light and the bustle of the reading area where he could share them with the students. As they walked past each row of bookshelves, the lighting grew gradually brighter until they found themselves back at Ila and the surrounding study tables. Eugene noticed the reading corner straight away. He whispered to Jake and Lily, that looks like my kind of spot. If you need me, I. I'll be over there reading. Jake and Lily smiled as they watched the bookworm make his way over to the comfy armchairs, dimmed lighting, and peaceful silence of the reading corner. Eugene happily settled himself down between the other students and began to read. The surrounding students watched the bookworm curiously. They hadn't seen a bookworm in this part of the library before, and the book he was reading looked very unusual too. It wasn't long before Eugene had garnered quite a bit of attention. Jake and Lily looked on as students struck up conversations with Eugene, and he explained to them that he had found the anthology he was reading in aisle Z. Some students promptly made their way to the forgotten book aisle, while others asked Eugene to share something from his book with them. It was safe to say that rather naturally, Eugene was igniting the reading bug in many students. Shall we go check out our story? Jake asked Lily, gesturing to the book tucked under his arm. Lily nodded and they walked up to the librarian's desk. They couldn't wait to share the story of their great, great great great aunt with their Uncle Baldrick. The pixie who had assisted them earlier was now working on the book checkout desk, and she raised an eyebrow with amusement as she registered the book in Jake's hands. Ah, you found it then, she said. Was it in aisle Z like I said? Jake and Lily nodded and smiled as the pixie stamped their book with the required return date. That's not the only thing we found though, Lily whispered, looking back over her shoulder at Eugene the bookworm, who was now reading a story to a handful of interested students. We found a new friend too. Sam. Sa.