← Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
Koko & Kira Go Stargazing 🔭 ⭐️ 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. Now, do you ever look up to the night sky and notice the patterns of stars up there? In different parts of the world, we can see different clusters of stars. And in tonight's story, we're meeting up with a camel who is an expert at recognizing them. If you've been listening a while, you may remember Cuthbert the Camel. We first met him one moonlit night in Morocco. Since then, he's covered the huge distance back to Sleepy Forest and has been very busy building Sleepy Forest Observatory, which luckily for us and a couple of our little furry friends, he's just finished. Soon we're going to join up with Koko and Kira as they gaze into the star filled skies above their clearing in the forest. As so often happens, their minds quickly begin to fizz with questions. What are the stars and why do they shine? Luckily, our sky obsessed camel friend might just hold the answers as you lie in bed. Now let's try imagining we're looking into the dark night sky by closing your eyes. Is the darkness behind your eyelids navy blue, black, reddish brown? As you ponder on it, just keep your eyes softly closed. Can you see tiny specks of light or streaks of color? Enjoy relaxing and breathing steadily as you keep your eyes closed. 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 and I'll begin. Coco and Kira go Stargazing By Luke Prendergast. Deep in the heart of a faraway forest stood a cosy wooden cabin. Inside the cabin lived a family of koalas, Koko, his parents and grandparents, and of course, his little sister, Kira the panda. Koko and Kira went to Sleepy Forest Elementary School, where they learnt about all kinds of things like mathematics and the history of the forest and at exactly which time of year the berries that grew on all the different trees would be at their most ripe, plump and delicious. And in the evenings, after the sun had set and the sky above the forest had gone dark as ink, sometimes Koko and Kira like to lie on their backs on the grassy patch outside the cabin, looking up at the twinkling stars. What do you think they are? Kira would ask. What do you mean? Koko would reply, frowning a little. They're stars. I know they're stars, silly, Kira would reply with a giggle. But I mean what they really are, what stars are. And then they'd look up at the stars, contemplatively mulling over the question, which seemed stranger and stranger once she thought about it. Maybe they're fireflies that flew up there and got stuck, koko proposed. Or the eyes of some huge far off creature, suggested Kira, looking down at us and blinking. Or they could be burning balls of gas billions and billions of miles away, said Koko, but they both clutched their bellies and laughed at that. That was such a ludicrous idea. One evening when they had finished feasting on a delicious dinner of eucalyptus pie that their mum had made them, Koko and Kira lay outside staring up at the stars when Koko was struck by an idea. I know how we can find out about the stars, he said. How? Kira asked. We have to go and ask Cuthbert, of course. Kira's eyes opened wide and she nodded. Cuthbert, of course. That was who they should go and ask. Cuthbert the camel was one of the oldest and wisest creatures who'd ever lived in Sleepy Forest. He had two humps on his back in which he said he could store water for many days, and a sandy coloured coat and a sagging hairy bottom lip that jiggled whenever he was munching on grass, which he often was. He was also, admittedly, a little bit grouchy, but that was understandable since he'd been plodding around the forest for such a long time. His feet must be pretty sore. Cuthbert's great passion was studying the skies. He called it celestial phenomena, but those kinds of long words were often pretty tricky for Koko and Kira to wrap their heads around. What he meant by celestial phenomena was the stars and planets and comets and asteroids and all the other bits and bobs that floated about up there in the great big above. You see, Cuthbert was terribly, terribly clever. His brain was like a huge castle, every room chock full of all sorts of interesting information. Once Cuthbert had even helped Koko out when the moon had passed in front of the sun and got stuck. He'd explained to Koko that what he was seeing was a solar eclipse, but that something had gone wrong because the moon wasn't supposed to get stuck like that, and then he'd helped Koko unstick it. So Cuthbert wasn't only clever, he was a pretty considerate camel too. What's more, Coco told Kira, was that Cuthbert must have almost finished the brand new observatory he'd been working on for some time. The structure, which he was calling the Sleepy Forest Stargazing Observatory was being built in a large clearing in the middle of the forest. He was kitting it out with the latest high tech telescope and he told me, Koko said, that once it was done we should go and check it out. What do you think? I think we should definitely go check it out, said Kira. Coco and Kira went back inside the log cabin to tell their mum that they were off to visit Cuthbert the Camel. What a wonderful idea, their mother said. Mind if I join too? And so the three of them went to put on their jackets, for it was a little chilly out that evening and before long they had all set off through the twilit sleepy Forest. All the other creatures were getting ready for bed. They passed birds settling down in their nests high in the branches, a family of hedgehogs plumping up the soft dry leaves in their hollow at the foot of an oak tree, and they waved goodnight to Bread and Butter, the two ducks who lived in the reeds on Sleepy River. The light was fading slowly and up through the trees. Kira could see that the sky was a darkening lilac colour, but she couldn't see any stars. When she voiced this concern, her mum patted her on the head. Don't worry, Kira, she said. The stars will come. And sure enough, as they turned around the trunk of a particularly grand sycamore and towards the clearing where Sleepy Forest Stargazing Observatory loomed up, Kira noticed that the sky was now speckled with an infinite array of sparkling stars. Even though it was brand new, the observatory looked like an old building. It was made of pale stone with columns at the front and a big dome on top. And at the ornate front doors stood Cuthbert the Camel, looking pretty proud of himself. Cuthbert lifted a hoof and waved them welcome. Hello Cuthbert, they said one by one, and Koko added that he thought the Sleepy Forest Stargazing Observatory looked pretty cool indeed. Why thank you, Koko, said Cuthbert. Its taken me some time to build it stone by heavy stone, but here we are, it's done. And I'm very glad that you've come for the grand unveiling with me. He lifted his head and looked seriously up at the sky. The stars are out in their millions tonight, he said. It will be quite some show. Are you ready? You'll be the first Sleepy Foresters to try out the new Stargazing Observatory. Oh yes, said Coco, and Kira said, we can't believe how lucky we are to be the first to try it out. Thanks, Cuthbert. Koko, Kira and their mum followed Cuthbert through the great doors and into the observatory. Inside it was cool and softly glowing lamps flickered on the walls, sending shadows dancing around the large circular room. The dome rose up over their head and in the middle of the room was the strangest contraption Koko or Kira had ever seen. That doesn't look like a telescope, kira said, furrowing her eyebrows sceptically. At least, she added, careful to make sure she was being polite, not like the ones they showed us in the textbooks at school. Ah, replied Cuthbert agreeably. No, in fact, it won't look like anything you've seen anywhere, young Kira. No more putting your eye to a lens and squinting to see the stars. No, no. I have been working on this invention for some time and it is the most new fangled high tech piece of machinery anyone in Sleepy Forest will ever have set their eyes upon. No more looking up at the stars through a telescope. This, my stargazing observatory, will bring the stars down to you. Cuthbert beckoned them over. Come and take a look, he said. Kira followed Koko and her mum, but she still wasn't quite convinced that this machine was high tech or newfangled, whatever that might mean. It looked, as far as she was concerned, a bit like a ginormous bed. Yes, a bed. A big black, rather soft looking pad was spread out across the floor in the middle of the observatory floor with a bunch of cushions that looked as though they were designed to rest your head on. The weird bit was that above the bed, rising all the way up to the top of the dome, were layers and layers of glass. Glass so thin that from certain angles it disappeared entirely and you couldn't see it at all. The only high tech part of the whole strange contraption that Kira could see was were a series of buttons and levers bunched together by the side of the black pad. And yet, as she approached the invention, Kira began to notice, or rather she began to feel, that there was something truly magical about it. There was a zone of energy around it that made a quiet excitement flood through her and flutter in her chest. The sheets of glass, it turned out, weren't just plain glass at all. Each of them, as she looked at them, had their own particular quality, swirling with colours as though pink or milky white or pale blue galaxies were caught on their surfaces. How does it work, Koko? Asked Cuthbert. Well, said the camel. Let me show you. Everyone lie down here, looking up towards the sky. Coco, Kira and their mum did as they were instructed, lying on their backs so that through the sheets of glass they could see the curved dome of the observatory ceiling. Cuthbert took his place, too. He asked if they were ready before pressing a button. With a creak, the dome ceiling unfurled, revealing the brilliant sky behind it. Wow. Whispered Kira. The sky above Sleepy Forest was pitch black and full of dazzling stars, like someone had tipped a jar of sprinkles over it. They burned and blinked high above them. The view was spectacular, but it was the same view that Koko and Kira gazed up at when they lay on their backs outside their little log cabin. Hold on there one moment, cuthbert said. Are we ready for the magic? Koko and Kira held their breaths in their heads. They were both repeating, yes, we are. Yes we are. Yes we are. Here we go, cuthbert murmured, and he pulled a lever. And then something truly miraculous happened to Koko and Kira. It no longer felt as though they were lying in the new stargazing observatory in Sleepy Forest. Instead, it felt as though they had floated up, up, up into the night sky and were now soaring through space itself. Asteroids and meteors and comets flew past them. The blazing stars zoomed towards them. Closer and closer they came, spilling their bright light all around. And then, all of a sudden, they were there. The stars were floating all around them. Crikey, whispered Koko. We wondered whether the stars were fireflies stuck up on the ceiling of the sky, and we wondered if they were balls of burning gases millions of miles away. But we never imagined this. No, Kira agreed. Never. Well, well, well, said Cuthbert. These kids are the constellations, for all around them swirled creatures whose bodies were made out of stars. Koko saw a ram with curled horns go charging through the observatory, followed by a shoal of shimmering fish. A swan made out of starlight spread its silvery wings, and a crab clicked its claws together as it scuttled across the stone floor. It really does bring the stars down to you, Whispered Kira, looking around in awe. Why, of course, said Cuthbert gruffly, just as I said it would. And he added, what's more, you can interact with them too. Go ahead, give it a go. Kira had spotted a brilliant star studded horse pawing the ground in the corner of the observatory. Carefully, she got up from the floor and took a few steps over to it. Her feet felt very light indeed, and with each step she floated a few feet across the room, as though she were no longer on solid earth but walking on the moon. The horse was no normal horse, but had a pair of bright white wings sprouting out of its back. It ruffled its feathers as Kira approached. Hello, she said. Im Kira the panda bear. And who, may I ask, are you? The winged horse gave her a toothy smile. I am Pegasus, he replied. Guardian of the skies. I fly round at night, flashing my stars, making sure all the world is safe. Kira asked Pegasus if she could touch him because she had never touched a starry constellation before. I can do even better than that, Pegasus replied. Hop on. I can take you for a ride. Kira looked around at her mum, who gave her an encouraging nod. And so, holding on firmly to Pegasus neck, she swung herself up onto his back. Pegasus's body was warm and silky. It was the strangest feeling in the world, sitting right on top of starlight. Looking down, she could almost see the floor of the observatory through his body, but she felt safe enough. Ready? Pegasus asked. Ready, Kira told him. Pegasus spread his huge wings, gave them a flap, and up they soared into the sky. They flew out of the open dome of the observatory and up into the dense night hanging above Sleepy Forest. Kira gripped on tight and looked down below her at the trees waving their branches in the gentle breeze as though they were waving hello to her. The forest stretched out forever and ever. She had never seen her home from the sky before and marvelled at how big and beautiful it was. Pegasus flew her high up into the sky and did a few somersaults in the air. As they sailed back down towards the observatory, Kira wondered whether any of the other creatures who lived in Sleepy Forest was looking up from their beds just then and wondering if they were seeing a falling star. Thank you, Pegasus, Kira said once she jumped off his back. The star horse gave her a low bow and Kira gave him a big hug of gratitude. Meanwhile, on the other side of the stargazing observatory, Koko had made his own starry friend. While Kira had been flying through the night sky with Pegasus, a shimmering star spangled Eagle had landed in the observatory, and in its arms it carried a strange looking stringed instrument like a miniature harp. That's Lyra Cuthbert, the camel explained to him. The musical Eagle. They say she strums her tunes for the whole universe to enjoy up there. Go ahead and say hello to her. So Koko went up to the eagle and introduced himself. Hi there, Koko, the eagle said. My name's Lyra. Coco told Lyra that he liked the look of her musical instrument very much. He had his own ukulele at home, he told her, which he liked to take to Sleepy Forest Elementary School to play with his classmates. One day he'd like to be in his very own music band. What kind of Instrument is that exactly? He asked her. This, said the eagle, presenting the instrument with a flourish of her wing, is called a lyre. That's how I got my name. Lyra. Get it, Coco asked Lyra if she'd show him how to play the lyre. Of course I can, she replied. Then she began to pluck the strings with a delicate claw and strum them with a sweeping wing. The most beautiful sound of music filled the whole observatory. It sounded to Koko like magical tinkling rain. Here, lyra said when she'd finished her tune. You have a go now. Really? Koko asked her. Really? With a trembling hand, Koko reached out for the lyre, which the eagle held out to him. The lyre seemed to be made of pure starlight, and Koko was sure his paw would pass right through it. But it didn't. His fingers closed around the cool handle of the lyre. Go on, Lyra, the eagle encouraged him. Just like I did it. So Koko took his paw and strummed the lyre's strings. Once that same melodious song swam from the vibrating strings. Now he plucked them with his claws or strummed them with his paws, and the whole observatory was filled once again with that beautiful music. Wow, Koko said. I've played real guitar. I've played air guitar, but I've never ever played star guitar before. While Koko played, Kira and his mum had a little boogie around the observatory. Even Cuthbert joined in with his own shimmying dance. When he'd finished playing, Koko handed the lyre back to the eagle. Thanks for letting me play, he said. Lyra nodded her head. And you let me know if you ever need an extra member for that band of yours. And spreading her glittering eagle wings, she took off to the skies. The four of them lay back down on the soft black padd and looked up through the layers of misty glass. The stars were still swirling about the sky, falling down towards them. Ah, said Cuthbert. Here come a couple of my favourites. Mama bear and her baby cub, just as he'd described. After a few moments, a great white bear, her thick coat shimmering with stardust, was prowling around the observatory. Around her feet played her little cub with two dark stars for eyes. He jumped this way and that, bouncing onto his mother's big paws and then jumping off. At last, though, the little bear cub gave a big yawn and curled up in the corner of the observatory. His mother noticed that he'd got tired and she gave a big yawn too. Then she went and lay beside her little star cub so that he could nuzzle close to her warm body and fall asleep. Oh, listen, Coco and Kira's mum whispered to Cuthbert. The baby bear is snoring gently. It seems that even the stars have bedtimes, and it looks like it's long past that little cub's. And it looks like it's past Koko and Kira's bedtimes too, replied Cuthbert, nodding his head towards the little koala and the little panda bear. Koko and Kira's mum turned around and was surprised to see that her two children were now fast asleep, curled up in Cuthbert stargazing observatory. Their chests were rising and falling gently, the fur on their chins rippling where their sleepy breath was coming raggedly out of their noses. In his sleep, Koko rolled over and slipped a little paw into Kira's so that he could hold it. Their mother's heart was filled up by a swell of love and pride for her children. I should get them home to bed, she whispered to Cuthbert, but do you mind if we stay in the observatory a little longer? I enjoy watching the stars. It makes me feel very much at peace. Cuthbert, of course, said she was more than welcome to stay as long as she liked. So the two of them lay staring up at the stars, which swirled and swayed up above them. They saw Pegasus gliding through the atmosphere. They heard the sound of the eagle's lyre echoing through the heavens. They stared up into the great expanse of sky while around them four bears slept soundly. Koko the koala, Kira the panda, and the starry mama bear and her baby cub. They stayed watching the stars until Koko's mother herself began to yawn. She said her goodnights to Cuthbert and lifted her children into her arms. Then she carried them back through the quiet forest, led back to her log cabin by the light of the stars, Sam. Sa.