← Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
The Dragon and the Temple of Donuts 🐉🍩 Calming 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. Tonight I've opened the clubhouse doors already. Coco's here, he's ready to give a deep bow. And Kira is poised to curtsy to our newest member, Miriam B. Hi Miriam. We're so pleased you wanted to join and hear more about Sleepy Forest and all the friends that live in it. So please take a seat and enjoy lots and lots of unlocked ad free episodes from now on. We'll soon get onto tonight's story, but first I want to remind you of my recent request for your help with the wind down relaxation bit. You know, the bit I often do before the story, using your deep breaths and your imagination to help you get into the right space to listen. Okay, well the thing is, I've had some lovely ones in from you guys in the past, but they seem to have stopped coming in. So please, I'd like more email them or voice note them even to Coco. Yep, the boy himself. Cocoalakids fm. Yeah, so all of your wind down relaxation ideas, things that I can say instead of breathe in for 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, breathe out in, etc. Etc. 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. Parents After a long day of school runs, meals, stories and snuggles, bedtime finally feels like a quiet moment just for us. And as the nights draw in, I decided to give my bedroom an upgrade. And I'm so glad I did. I ordered Quince's organic cotton Percal bedding and I'm not kidding when I say they make every bedtime feel like a fresh bedding day. They're so soft and cozy. I don't know why I didn't get them sooner. Not only do they feel good, they do good too, as Quince works with ethical suppliers to create bedding that feels built to last without the big markup. They even have amazing bedding for our kids too, so everyone in the family can enjoy a little extra cosiness. Honestly, their duvet covers, sheets and pillowcases have completely transformed my room. They might just be the best gift I've given myself this year. Give the gift of a Retreat this holiday Quince bedding makes any bedroom a place you'll want to linger? Go to quince.commoon for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. For that's Q-U-I-N-C-E.commoon free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.commoon 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. 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Start your risk free Greenlight trial today@greenlight.commoon that's greenlight.commoon to get started greenlight.commoon okay, so until I hear from you, I'm going to have to keep doing them. This is it for now. Place your hands on your tummy and as you breathe in, feel your tummy rise and then fall gently. As you breathe out. Keep breathing softly and next time on your breath out, you're going to imagine a lovely stream of rainbow bubbles whooshing out of your mouth and into the nighttime air around you. Got it? Okay, breathe in slowly and deeply, then lengthen your breath and think about those bubbles and whoosh it out. Lovely. Once more. Breathe in again and breathe slowly out as you feel your shoulders, your ribcage and your legs all relax and melt into the mattress beneath you. Wonderful. Keep breathing steadily and slowly and maybe put a little smile on your face as I begin the Dragon and the Temple of Doughnuts by Jane Thomas Perhaps you remember the story of Iggy Flame, the dragon who lives in a beautiful cavern in the mountains of Sleepy Forest. Perhaps you remember his brother and sister, Fira and Agni, and that he lives with his parents, Mr. And Mrs. Flame, as you should call them, and Grandma and Grandpa Flame. And that Iggy's totally unique, never to be repeated, extra special magical party trick is that he blows bubbles instead of fire. There are many advantages to blowing bubbles rather than fire, and Iggy is slowly discovering some of these. He doesn't accidentally set things on fire, for a start, and he doesn't need to rush down towards a river when he gets a coughing or sneezing fit. Bubbles are just beautiful clear balls with rainbows swirling around inside that drift through the sky and wait for someone to leap up and burst them with a satisfying pop, or that keep on floating forever and ever, heading out to play with the moon and the stars. And there's something that is sometimes good and sometimes bad, depending on the day and the moment. And it is that because Iggy Flame is the only dragon around who blows bubbles, he is very, very, very memorable. It basically means that Iggy has to be on his best behavior at all, all times, because there is absolutely no way that he's ever going to get away with anything. And while being on our best behaviour is something that we should probably always try and do, it does feel a little bit, well, I'm sure, you know, unexciting. Which is why when Fira and Agni came to Iggy's room one evening and said they'd found a treasure map and did he want to go exploring with them, he immediately said yes. In that moment, Iggy was tired of being the sensible one, the one who pointed out all the possible problems with a plan and why they'd maybe get into trouble, and that staying at home and playing ping pong was probably a much better idea. The treasure map had come from, and perhaps you've guessed it, here Be Dragons. The shop run by Theobald Alicius Thackeray, and that's opened on days he feels like it, or if someone comes along and offers him a sizeable chunk of cheese in exchange for switching the sign from closed to open. Vera had been talking to Cuddle, who'd been talking to Prickles. And, well, to cut a long story short, they'd ended up with this treasure map that showed the location of a rather wonderful sounding place, the Temple of Doughnuts. Iggy read aloud, licking his lips and imagining an entire temple made up of doughnuts. Dragons have two favourite things to eat. The first is anything hot and spicy that puts a fire in their belly. That one is obvious, I suppose. And the second that you might never have guessed is donuts. They love ring donuts, the ones that are sticky with sugar or have a little cap of icing running around them. And they love tiny donuts that are little puffs of delight. And they love big fat donuts that ooze pools of bright red strawberry jam when you bite into them. If you should ever be lucky enough to meet a dragon, be sure to invite him to join you in a donut. You'll have a friend for life. The plan was set. The three of them would leave the following morning as soon as the sun had crept over the horizon. Of course, this plan would have been perfect, but the sun didn't really get a chance to do any creeping because there were far too many clouds around. So rather than departing on their adventure at the crack of dawn, they set off shortly before lunch and headed out into what can only be called very determined drizzle to the park. They called down to Grandpa Flame as he stepped onto the terrace of the cave and asked where they were going in the rain. He called back, and all three had shrugged their glowing wings and given him a wave and carried on flying. They're never going to the park, grandpa Flame mumbled to Grandma Flame, who just smiled and patted the chair beside her, inviting him to sit down. They'll be just fine, she assured him gently. The pigeon trackers are in place, remember? With that reminder, he was able to settle the pigeon trackers are exactly what you'd imagine they might be. Pigeons that track. Since pigeons are everywhere, have you ever noticed that they really do get everywhere. They can blend into the background and nobody ever guesses they could be tracking. So the pigeons can hide in plain sight, as it were, and then use their homing skills to report back to base camp, usually parents and grown ups, and let everyone know that things are just fine. So off went Iggy Fira and Agni, blinking their way through the drizzle and fluttering their wings to get the water off every now and then. And also off went three pigeon trackers, little pouches of seed carefully stowed so they could be sure to fly just as far and for just as long as the dragons. Agni had learned the treasure map by heart. So off they went, following first one river and then another, turning left as they came to a forest and then right when they saw a castle with a pointed hatted tower room on each of its four corners. In fact, they flew so far that eventually the clouds ran out of rain and finally, they were sweeping across a desert that rose and fell in vast sweeps of red and gold sand. In the distance they could see rocky mountains rising up from the desert. And as they came closer, they saw entrances to caves. There must have been a hundred on the first mountain alone. But Agni had taken the time to study the map and knew exactly where they must go. Not this mountain, nor this one, nor this one either. Yes, this one. The shape looking a bit like a giant camel loping its way into the distance. And there, right in the middle of its second hump, was the cave they needed to enter. Perhaps Vera and Iggy wouldn't have been so very certain. Agni was right, except at the entrance to the cave was a little painted sign with an arrow that told them it was this way, right this way to the Temple of Donuts. And honestly, they didn't need the sign either. They could smell the donuts from where they stood. Iggy drooled a stream of bubbles. As the three disappeared into the entrance of the cave, the trio of pigeon trackers landed on the sign. They did a quick inspection and established that there was definitely only one way in and one way out of the cave. And that decided it. They sat, pulled out a pack of playing cards and settled down for as long as it would take. Iggy. Although the smallest and youngest of the three dragons led the way into the cave, a series of lanterns set into the wall lit the way, and if they ever came across one that wasn't particularly bright. But it was only a moment before fear or agony sorted that problem out. The tunnel widened in some places and narrowed in others, was high one moment and the next they had to crawl. But the further they went, the more they smelled the donuts and knew they had to keep going. Higgy heard the sound of running water, and rounding the next bend, they came across a sparkling stream. You might expect that a stream would be no obstacle to a dragon. After all, they do come with a pair of wings that can take them anywhere. But I suspect you don't know that. The first rule of flying that dragons are taught before they can even walk is that you must never, ever fly indoors. Far too many things go wrong when you fly indoors. There are things to bump into and things to break and ceiling fans to get tangled up in and curtains that can be pulled down. And every good dragon knows that indoor flying is absolutely forbidden. So it never occurred to any of them to fly across the stream. And instead they looked for a way across. It was Iggy who found the solution. He took one of the lanterns from the wall and held it this way and that, shining the light onto the water and looking for a bridge or a stepping stone they could use. And there it was, a bright green stone that almost seemed to glow, that almost seemed as if they could look inside it. Higgy handed the lantern to Vera and he stepped back into the tunnel a few paces to be able to take a run up. One stride, two strides, three strides. Leap. Iggy leapt and pointed his toes and went to land on the glowing bright green stone when, boing. He was launched back up into the air. As he waved his arms and flailed his legs, he shot towards the far side of the stream, landing with a bump and a thump. It's jelly. He called back to the others. The stone isn't a stone at all. It's a giant green jelly. And he was absolutely right, as both Vera and Agni proved by also boinging off the jelly and bouncing their way to join Iggy. Right, said Iggy with determination in his voice. What's next? He marched along the tunnel and came to a huge cavern, a great pool of liquid yellow bubbling away in front of him. Bending down, Iggy dipped his hand into the yellow and gave it an experimental sniff before licking it. Custard, he declared, hit an entire lake of custard. Hanging from the highest heights of the very high ceiling of the cavern were great lengths of red rope, or indeed, as they soon found out, strawberry shoelaces. A series of steps and pulleys were lit by the lanterns, and the three little dragons took it in turns to climb the steps, haul in a shoelace, and then launch themselves across the custard lake to land on the far side. Iggy let out a little screech of delight as he was swept through the air, clinging on for all he was worth. His tail clipped the custard and sent a huge wave of yellow trailing behind him, and as he laughed, rainbow shimmer bubbles fell from his mouth and nose. The challenges continued as they went further and further into the mountain with the dragons using lollipops as paddles in boats that crossed the Chocolate river and the stickiest caramels to help them climb a wall. But finally they arrived into the biggest cavern of them all, and there were tables piled high with doughnuts, and in the walls were carved little shelves that were filled with doughnuts, and the dragons, who up until then had behaved themselves very well indeed and not eaten a thing beyond that single lick of custard, dived into it all. There were donuts, so Big and springy, you could use them as a chair. And doughnuts so tiny you could eat 10 of them in a single go. There were ring donuts so large they could slip them around their middles and use them like rubber rings as they floated in a river of syrup that drifted idly around the edges of the room. There were donuts dusted with icing sugar and doughnuts covered in sprinkles, and doughnuts dressed with chocolate drops and gummy bears and jelly beans. Doughnuts were shaped like hearts and diamonds, and in one corner they found doughnuts shaped exactly like dragons. Iggy bit into one of these, and the jam inside was hot with chillies, so hot that for a moment he felt as if he was breathing fire. And if he'd been able to look closely, which he couldn't because his eyes were watering so hard, he might have seen the faintest shimmer of a flame inside the bubbles that he blew after eating those doughnuts. And then Iggy went to pick up a particular doughnut and found it wasn't a doughnut at all, but it was something that was stuck to the wall, and he pressed against it and turned it and fiddled it this way and that. And a door creaked its way open at the side of the cavern. The three of them gasped, looking at steps that were covered in jewels and diamonds that glowed and glinted by the light of the lanterns. And they started climbing the steps, following them round and round, heading deeper and deeper into the very heart of the mountain. At the top of the steps was a table, and on that table was a plate of doughnuts. The three dragons had already eaten more than they had ever thought possible. But something about this plate of doughnuts said, these were the special ones. These were the finest that might ever be found. These were the ones they had really come all this way for. They didn't necessarily look anything particularly special. Iggy reckoned that each was about the size of his average, everyday, basic sort of bubble. But they smelled of cinnamon and cherries, and they glistened with even more beauty than the stairs that were covered with diamonds. And before they knew it, the three of them were reaching forwards to take the doughnuts one by one and cram them into their mouths. It was a matter of a single minute, and the whole plate had been cleared and the dragons were lying down, fluttering their glowing wings, a special kind of wonderful washing over them as they lay and rested. Iggy spotted an envelope. He reached over and looked at it, reading to the finder of the grand doughnuts on the front. A quick sniff revealed it too smelled of cinnamon and cherries, and he was sure this envelope was linked to the doughnuts they had just eaten. He opened the envelope and pulled out a letter. Dear Donut Eater, he read aloud, snorting a few bubbles from his nose as he held back a giggle, you have found the finest doughnuts the world has ever known. These are made from the sweetest cherries grown on a single tree in a land far, far away. They're crafted from the softest cinnamon grown in a single garden in a land far, far the other way. Bringing them together at the perfect time is no small task. Enjoy these donuts if you must. Appreciate every bite, for they are only made but once a year, when the moon is full and the world is ready. Um, how long did we take to eat those doughnuts? Asked Vera. About a minute, said Agni. Right, said Iggy. So a year's worth of work, said Agni. In a single minute. Finished Vera. There was silence for a while before Iggy broke it by saying, whoops. The three of them burst out laughing, two flames reaching high into the cave and one stream of bubbles pouring out into the darkness. They learned a very important lesson that day. When something wonderful happens, take the time to enjoy it, and that something wonderful might come in a very unexpected form. Like in a plate of doughnuts that taste oh so very, very delicious. Same time next year, said Agny at last. You didn't even need to ask, said Iggy. Three little dragons walked down the twisting turns of the diamond and jewel covered stairs. Three little dragons walked back through the door and into the vast cavern that was somehow once more filled with doughnuts. All the ones they'd eaten had been replaced, and all the ones they'd used to float in the Syrup river had been dried off and hung up, waiting for the next visitors. The door in the wall closed behind them, and try as he might, Iggy couldn't remember which of the doughnuts he'd pressed to open it. Oh, well. He shrugged to himself. He had a year to work it out. Three little dragons used lollipops to steer boats across the Chocolate river and the stickiest caramels to help them climb down a wall. They swung on strawberry shoelaces across a great lake of yellow custard and bounced from a glowing green jelly in the middle of a stream. One by one they reached the entrance to the cave hidden in the second hump of a camel shaped mountain on the edge of a desert, and one by one they said good evening to three pigeons who were sat playing cards on the ledge. To most of us, one pigeon looks very like another, and none of the three little dragons noticed that these were the very same who had followed them from their home high in the mountains of Sleepy Forest. Perhaps if they hadn't been so very tired and so very full of doughnuts, they might have seen that. The pigeons packed up their cards and flew off after them, but all they could think about was being tucked up in bed. The desert sand glowed red with the setting sun and then the cloud shifted back into place and the dragons flew through the rain back towards the castle with the four pointed turrets on its corners, back towards the forest, back towards first one river and then another and back towards the terrace outside their home. Grandpa Flame was sitting on the terrace, a big umbrella held in one hand and a book in the other, and he looked over the top of his glasses as the three little dragons arrived. Good day at the park? He asked without a hint of a joke in his voice. The best, said Iggy. Wonderful, said Vera. Magic, said Agni, and they headed inside and didn't notice the three pigeon trackers report that the dragons had found the Temple of Donuts, and Grandpa Flame smiled as he remembered the very first time he'd been there too, and he wondered if his three little dragons had been lucky enough to find the grand on us set on the altar at the top of the stairs, covered in diamonds and jewels. Iggy, being the smallest and youngest of the dragons, was perhaps the most tired of them all. His feet dragged across the floor as he headed to the sink and carefully brushed his teeth. Up and down, up and down with the brush and up and down, up and down with his eyelids as he struggled to stay awake. He climbed into his pyjamas, the red ones, the really snuggly ones, and settled into his bed, pulling the blankets up around him and being sure to tuck his wings in safe and close. His mother came in all ready to read him a bedtime story, but Iggy could only mumble a very small good night before he was fast asleep and she leaned down to kiss her littlest dragon on the tip of his bubble blowing nose before she tiptoed quietly out of the room and softly close the door behind her. It is perhaps unsurprising that Iggy dreamed of the temple as he fell asleep, and he dreamed of swimming in a honey river and floating in a syrup stream and of swinging through a forest where the vines were made of strawberry laces, and the trees were made of chocolate. He dreamed of someone growing cinnamon on one side of the world, and of someone else growing a cherry tree on the other. And he dreamed of them travelling to the edge of a desert and a mountain that was the shape of a camel, and everything coming together under a full moon to make the perfect, most delicious donut of them all. And he dreamed of going there the following year, and of flying along the rivers and forests with his Grandpa Flame by his side. And in his dream he took an hour to eat a single bite and a day to finish a donut. The bubbles he blew as he dreamed drifted around the room, rainbow swirls dancing in the moonbeams that reached through the open window, bubbles floating outside to head high, high into the world, to sparkle and shine with the stars. Sam Sa.