← Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
Jupiter Twins & The Sleepy Igloo 🧊🧙♀️ Relaxing Bedtime Stories For Kids
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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. Chill Bill has sent me a note from his mountaintop retreat to give thanks to all of our annual subscribers. He's been very busy and helping youngsters find their inner calm and he knows it wouldn't have been possible without your support of the show. So thank you from him and from Coco and I too. And on that note, let's all of us wish a very, very happy birthday to Opal, who turned eight in October. Welcome to the Coco Club, Opal, and enjoy catching up with all your favourite characters. 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 Coco Club. Subscribe in just two taps via the link in the show notes, but now here's a quick word from our sponsors. This message is sponsored by Greenlight. As parents, some parts of the job get easier, like when your kids can finally make their own snacks or get ready for bed. But other lessons like teaching them about money, take a little more care. When my kids were little, we'd talk before bed about what they wanted to save up for a book, a toy, sometimes even something for someone else. Those chats are lovely, but it's hard to turn them into real world lessons. That's where Greenlight comes in, a debit card and money app made for families. Parents can send money, track spending and set saving goals while kids build money, confidence and real life financial skills. There's even a chores feature where you can set up tasks and reward kids when they're complete. I have to say, if my kids had been paid to do the dishes, they'd have been a lot more motivated. Kids learn to save, spend wisely, and even invest with you, all through fun, easy tools that make money management part of everyday life. It's no wonder millions of parents and kids are learning about money together on Greenlight, the number one family finance and safety app. Don't wait to teach your kids real world money skills. Start your risk free Greenlight trial today@greenlight.commoon that's greenlight.commoon to get started. Greenlight.commoon we know our listeners have the most incredible imaginations, from sharing story ideas to showing us how creative they can be with characters. The new Paw Patrol Fire Rescue Toys celebrate that same spirit of creativity, helping little heroes feel proud of the stories they create. Your little storyteller can join Marshall and the team on their biggest adventures yet with the all new Fire Station HQ where they can gear up and slide down the pole and Marshall's Rapid Reload firetruck ready for action. Every pup has their own vehicle so kids can recreate their favourite rescues from the show and or dream up their own. It's creative hands on play that inspires teamwork and confidence. The perfect way to keep their imaginations shining bright. So when the time comes for a new adventure, check out the Red Hot Paw Patrol Fire Rescue Toys available now at all major retailers. Hopefully tonight will not disappoint. We've not been to the Liora Academy since the summer and some mysterious goings on have caught the attention of the Jupiter Twins. Especially because there are excited whispers amongst the children of an escape room opening up nearby. Could that be right? An escape room in a school? Well, before we find out, get as cozy and comfy as possible in bed and whatever your body needs to feel relaxed, just do it. Perhaps stretch, wriggle, point your toes, scrunch up your face and then when you're ready, let everything just relax and dissolve into the mattress beneath you. Lovely. Breathe gently in and out and let all your muscles go as soft and squidgy as possible. Perfect. It's time now for me to begin. The Jupiter Twins and the Sleepy Igloo By Luke Prendergast One afternoon, deep in the frosty heart of winter term at the Leora Academy of Magical Arts, something rather strange was occurring. Down at the end of the long field that stretched to the bottom of the school grounds, figures in white were on the move. Snow had been falling thickly for a number of weeks, leaving a soft blanket across the earth and and snowy caps on the tops of trees and castle turrets. All this snow meant that those white figures moving around were so well camouflaged that they were almost indistinguishable from the wintry landscape around them. It was only when the sun was setting and the pale yellow sunlight swept low across the ground that Lily and Jake, the Jupiter Twins standing at the top of the field outside the school buildings, stood, saw them. But still they had to squint. They look like icy sprites, lily said. No, Jake replied, shaking his head. They look to me more like abominable snowmen. Abominable snowmen? Lily repeated. That's impossible, Jake. There's only one abominable snowman, and there are at least seven of those creatures moving around down there. Maybe they're some kind of gnome. Well, whatever they are, said Jake, they look like they're all carrying big blocks of ice. Jake was right about that. Whatever the white shimmery creatures were, they carried massive ice cubes aloft above their head, transporting them across the bottom of the field before disappearing into the densely growing tree trunks of the Winding Woods. How peculiar. Lily sighed. I wonder what it is they're up to. There are always peculiar things going on around the Lure Academy, jake said. I'm sure it won't be long before we find out what it is. It wasn't often that Jake was right about something two times in a row. But this time Lily had to admit it, he was right again. For it was only a few hours later, after they'd finished their dinner, that an enchantment in the form of a snowy owl flew into the grand dining hall, opened its beak wide, and announced that the head teacher, Dr. Howard, would like to see the Jupiter twins in her office. After the enchanted owl had finished delivering its message, it dissolved into thin air, leaving only a handful of snowflakes to drift gently to the floor. The Jupiter twins knew better than to keep Dr. Howard waiting, and besides, they already felt the tingles of excitement running through them. What could their head teacher want to talk to them about at this late hour? So they picked up their plates, placed them on the side table, where they promptly disappeared, whisked off by some magic back to the kitchens and made their way across the school to Dr. Howard's office. Come in. The headteacher called, hearing their knock at the door. At this time of the year, Dr. Howard's office was particularly plush and cosy. Puffy cushions were arranged in a semicircle on the floor and a warm fire crackled in the grate. Dr. Howard herself stood up from her desk, her eyes glittering behind her horn rimmed spectacles, and smiled down at the Jupiter twins. Thank you for coming, she said. I have something rather delightful to tell you about. Please, please take a seat. The twins plopped themselves down on a couple of the cushions and Dr. Howard told them that for some time now she had been busy organising a little surprise. The surprise was to be for all of the students of the Leora Academy, but this evening she needed just a couple of students to try it out, to take the surprise for a test run, so to speak. And who better, she figured, than her favourite students, Lily and Jake Jupiter? So would they be willing to help her out and take a trip to the bottom of the school grounds and into the winding woods where the surprise would be awaiting them? Lily and Jake didn't have to think for very long before giving Dr. Howard their answer. Of course we will, they said, hauling themselves up off the cushions and standing by the office door, smiling. Dr. Howard brought her hands together. Oh, wonderful, she said. I knew I could count on you. As they turned to go out the door, Lily paused. Dr. Howard, she asked, does this have anything to do with those strange, magical creatures carrying blocks of ice at the bottom of the field? Behind her glasses, Dr. Howard's eyes twinkled. With her thumb, her and forefinger, she mimed zipping up her lips and throwing away the key. I'm not going to ruin any surprises, she said. Now off you go down to the Winding Woods. And don't worry about getting lost. You'll know which way to go. Outside, the snow crunched satisfyingly beneath their feet. Silvery moonlight gleamed on the snowy ground. The air was sharp and nippy, prickling on the Jupiter Twins cheeks, but with their thick robes wrapped tightly around them, they barely felt the cold. They didn't speak as they crossed the field. But at the edge of the Winding Woods, Lily said, I wonder which way we're meant to go. That way, I guess, said Jake, pointing between the trees. Following the direction of his finger, Lily saw that one of the woodland paths was illuminated on either side by dozens of hovering fireflies, glowing like strings of fairy lights strung up to guide them on their way. Oh. Lily sighed. How beautiful. And together they they crunched down the pathway. Icicles hanging from the branches of trees shivered and let out sweet musical notes, and the fireflies let out a low, almost imperceptible humming, as though light itself had a faint sound that you could hear if only you listened out very closely. Who could say how long the Jupiter Twins walked the twisting pathways of the Winding Woods? They had no fear, of course. They remember Dr. Howard reassuring them that they would not lose their way. They simply followed the glowing route of the fireflies. Their eyes peeled wide to take in the beauty of the wintry wonderland, until at last they stepped around a bend and caught their breaths. For a few moments neither of them could speak. Then Jake let out a low whistle. Wow. Whee. He said. In front of them stood one of the most spectacular structures the Jupiter Twins had ever seen in their lives. It was, Lily supposed, a giant igloo, but that description didn't quite do it justice. It looked more like a cosy woodland cottage made out of ice, set upon a mound of snow, with orange glowing windows and pointed ice turrets and shelf like steps in the snow leading up to a wooden door around the outside of the igloo Snaked what appeared to be an icy slide twisting around to the rear of the building and disappearing. Well, lily said, giving Jake a little grin. At least we now know what those creatures were doing transporting blocks of ice earlier today. Yup, said Jake. And this must be the surprise Dr. Howard's prepared for us. Come on, Lily, let's go and take a look. They approached the igloo and climbed the steps until they stood before the door. Jake peered through the tiny window, then reached out and gave the door a rap with the large brass knocker. But there was no sound from within and the door stayed firmly shut. Hmm. Lily hummed, looking down at her feet. They were standing on a doormat that read the words welcome to Sleepy Igloo. She nudged at the bristly doormat with her toe and noticed that there was a lump under one corner. What was this? She crouched down and out from underneath the doormat drew an old looking metal key. The handle formed into the shape of an intricate snowflake. Maybe we can try this, lily suggested. She slipped the key into the lock, twisted, and the door creaked open. The Jupiter twins stepped inside and found themselves in what seemed to be a comfy wood panelled ski chalet. Neat stacks of firewood were piled by a gently flickering fireplace. Mugs hung above a ceramic sink. Knit blankets were folded over the backs of two wicker rocking chairs. Two pairs of skis leant against the wall, and in the middle of the room was a round wooden table on which Lily spotted a handwritten note in spiralling green ink. Welcome to the Sleepy Igloo, the note read, repeating the message from the doormat outside, a cosy refuge in the middle of the wintry wood. Pause and enjoy each of the sleepy igloo's chambers. As you wish. But do not linger too long, for a true prize awaits you. Crack the clues and solve the puzzles to find the keys to take you to the igloo's soft and squishy heart. Oh, lily said gleefully. It's like one of those magical escape rooms I've read about, where you have to solve clues to get to the next room, then the next room, and then hopefully out. I've always wanted to do one of these. Jake had plonked himself down on one of the rocking chairs and was now swaying hypnotically back and forward. Me too, he said. So what's the clue? It's written right here, lily said. It says, in winter, Jack Frost might nip your feet. You'll find me where toes can keep their heat. Hmm. Lily scratched her chin thoughtfully trying to crack the clue. Then a thought occurred to her and she walked over to the fireplace. Surely you'd warm your toes by a fireplace. But peering through the orange flames, she could see no key at all. She scratched her chin again. Oh, she said to herself, that must be it. And she went over to the igloo's door where a pair of fur lined snow boots sat side by side. She picked them up one by one and turned them over, but alas, there was nothing in them. Oh, I really thought the key would be in there, she said, frowning. She turned to her brother, who appeared to be distracted, pulling a pair of woolly socks decorated with polar bears over his feet. Jake, she said, a little grumpily, aren't you going to help me solve the clue? Yes, I am, Lily, he said. These socks just look so soft and warm. I wanted to. Oh. He exclaimed. Ouch. There's something in this sock. And Jake stuck his hand down into the woolly tube and pulled out a bright golden key. Oh, Jake, said Lily. Well done. You found it. Now. I bet it opens this door here. She shall we go through to the Sleepy Igloo's next chamber? One moment, Jake said. He pulled the newly empty sock over his foot, gave his toes a wiggle so that the polar bears on them appeared to boogie and dance, then nodded with satisfaction. That's better, he said. All right, let's go. Lily slipped the golden key into the door at the far end of the chalet and pushed it open. The next chamber of the Sleepy igloo was darker and cooler than the previous one. It took a few moments for their eyes to become accustomed to the gloom, and then they saw that they were not in a room at all, but standing on the plain of a snow covered tundra. Crops of towering fir trees grew here and there, and above them in a star studded sky, a wondrous display was occurring. Huge curtains of light green and pink and blue hung and danced and shimmered. It was breathtakingly beautiful, as though there were invisible cracks in the sky that let the multicolored curtains pour through from unimagined realms beyond. How have they managed to fit a whole tundra into a sleepy igloo room? Jake asked, his voice brimming with awe. Lily shrugged. That's the power of magic for you, she said. But how, if we're not in a room, do we move into the next chamber? They looked all around them, and Jake saw that in the trunk of a nearby fir tree there was a door. He walked over to it Lily trailing behind him, and thought how lucky it was he'd put on those polar bear socks in the previous igloo chamber because the snow beneath his feet was actually pretty chilly. The door in the fir tree bore an engraved inscription. Jake peered close and read it. Dancing in the sky on all these cold, dark Arctic nights. Come whisper the Latin name of the glorious Northern lights. Jake looked up at the curtains of light in the sky. Of course, he whispered. We're in the Arctic and those are the northern lights. But a Latin name. How are we supposed to know Latin? We're kids. We're only just getting to grips with English. Speak for yourself, said Lily, grinning at him. I know English and Latin. Jake blinked at her, wide eyed. How? He asked. Because, Jake, she said a little primly, some of us actually read the books our teachers ask us to read. And with that, Lily approached the tree, leant in close, and whispered the Latin words she'd once read in a book called Supernatural Celestial Phenomena, all about sky magic. Aurora Borealis. Jake shivered, but it wasn't a shiver from the cold. It was a familiar shiver, one that came whenever he heard the sound of ancient magic. Even the snow falling softly through the air seemed to pick up Lily's words and whisper them back. Aurora. Aurora. Aurora. The door in the tree gave a satisfied click and swung open. Lily smiled at Jake and stepped back to let him through first into the sleepy igloo's third chamber. Oh, that's better, jake said once she joined him. I much prefer being in a room that actually looks like a room. Yes. They were now out of the wide expanse of the Arctic tundra and had found themselves instead in another cabin. But this one wasn't plush and warm and cosy like the ski chalet. It felt ancient and mysterious and tingling with magic. The floorboards were worn and covered with whorls, just like the ones Jake and Lily had on their fingertips. In the corner, a single window was frosted over and sparkled with starlight, and ivy grew through cracks in the walls and climbed across the beams of the ceiling. Strangest of all, though, was that in the centre of the room grew a small tree that looked as though it was made out of ice. And at the foot of the tree spread a small frozen pool. Some force, some magical attraction, like a magnet tugging on their heartstrings, made the Jupiter twins walk towards this frozen pool. The floors of the cabin creaked under their steps. Closer up, they could see that the ice tree was covered in frozen fruit, little ice blue cherries dangling from its frosted branches. They gazed mesmerised at the tree before dropping their eyes to the frozen pond in which they could see their reflections blinking back at them as though they were looking into a mirror. And below their reflections, deeper down in the frozen water, they saw its. A key, Jake whispered. Yes, lily said. I can see it, but it's buried deep down there in the ice. How are we supposed to get it out? I suppose we'll have to melt the ice, Jake said, and find it. He placed his warm palm on the surface of the frozen pond, but he could only keep it there a few seconds before it became too cold to tolerate, and he withdrew it. His hand's warmth hadn't seemed to melt even a millimetre of ice. Hmm, he said. He'd been thwarted. But then he had another idea. They weren't trained in magic after all. Weren't they? Hey, Lily, he said. We could melt through the ice with a flame summoning charm. Can you help me with it? Lily placed a warm hand on her brother's shoulder. Of course I can, Jake, she said. Together, they knelt by the frozen pool and began to mutter the words of the spell underneath their breath. In a few moments, two licks of flame appeared in their cupped hands, and they lowered the flames to the surface of the ice to to let the heat thaw. Took a little while, and every now and then Lily had to sluice the ice away with a hand. But soon enough they'd done it, and Jake reached into the cold water and pulled out the key. Nice work, Jake, lily said, looking around for the door to the next chamber. But it was only then that that she realised there was no other door. Aside from the door that they had stepped through from the tundra chamber. The only other break in the walls of the cabin was the frosted window. Stepping over to it, she lifted the latch, pushed it open and peered out. Oh, Jake, she said. This is going to be fun. Jake peered out beside her and saw that the window opened directly onto the frozen slide they'd spotted from outside, curving away around the side of the sleepy igloo. He grinned at Lily. I guess this is the only way, he said. Jake clambered up to the window, hopped down to the slide and let go. Soon enough, he was sliding smoothly down the ice slide, feeling the cool air outside ripple through his hair. He raised his hands in the air as he slipped in loops around the side of the igloo until the slide deposited him in front of a wooden door that stood at the back of the icy building. A moment later, Lily appeared Red cheeked beside him. Ooh, she said. A secret door. This must be what the key is for. Want to try it, Jake? She didn't need to ask him twice. He slipped the key into the lock, it fitted perfectly, and opened the secret door. As soon as they stepped inside, the words from that first letter Lily had found, the one written in green ink and left on the table in the ski chalet chamber, came back to her. The sleepy igloo's soft and squishy heart. She was sure this was it. They had made it. The sleepy igloo's final chamber was a room that was a bed, but not any old bed. It was a bed made out of marshmallows, pink and white, stretching from one wall to the other, the softest and squishiest looking marshmallow she'd ever seen. And all around the walls hung candy canes and toffee apples and freshly baked cinnamon cookies. Wow, jake whispered. All of this is making my mouth water. Me too, lily agreed. But more than making my mouth water, do you know what this marshmallow bed is making me feel? What's it making you feel? Her brother asked her. Sleepy, she said simply. Well, Jake would have to agree. Just hearing Lily say the word sleepy made him realise how tired he was too. He let out a big yawn, which he had to partially cover with the back of his hand. It was a yawn so big that it made his eyes close and his whole body stretch and shake. When he opened his eyes again, he saw that Lily had already lain down on the huge marshmallow mattress and was now taking a marshmallow pillow from a pile of marshmallow pillows to arrange beneath her head. Oh, Jake, she said. You won't believe just how comfy marshmallows are. You've got to try it. So Jake lay down on the soft and squishy marshmallows too, and felt his weight sink into it as though a large and kind and puffy creature were wrapping him in a gentle hug. I think, Lily said, that this is the prize part of Dr. Howard's surprise, the chance to have a lovely rest in the sleepy igloo in the heart of the wandering woods. I think you're right, Lily, jake agreed. He yawned again and turned on his side, resting his head on a lump of mallow. I can almost feel myself drifting off already. Let's sleep here for now. But from the sound of it, Lily had already fallen asleep. Jake could hear the tell tale sound of her deep breathing that told him she'd drifted off into the land of Nod. Night, Night, Lily, he whispered, even though he knew she wouldn't answer. He stretched his limbs. He closed his eyes and laying on a bed of marshmallow, the snow falling once more in shimmering drifts through the window, and the trees of the wandering forest watching over him and his sister, Jake Jupiter fell asleep. And as he slept, he dreamt of candy canes and marshmallows, of toffee apples and cinnamon cookies, and how lovely it would be, after a long nap in the sleepy igloo, to wake up and have a delicious snack of so many of his favourite treats. Sam Sa.