← Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
The Kingdom Of Lost Balloons 🎈☁️ Rewind Bedtime Story for Kids
00:27:47
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- [00:11]
Abby
Hello and welcome back to Koala Moon.
- [00:13]
Sponsor
A podcast of original children's bedtime stories.
- [00:16]
Abby
And meditations designed to make bedtime a dream. I have a question for you. Do you know the reason it is that balloons float up and away like they do? It's because they're filled with a gas called helium. Helium is special because it's a lot lighter than the gases that make up our normal air, gases like oxygen and nitrogen. And when something is lighter than something else, it floats just like a rubber duck in a bathtub full of water. That's why when a balloon is filled up with helium, it will float in the air. Isn't that cool? There is one thing that I'm not sure about though, and that's this. All those balloons that people have accidentally let slip from their grasp and which have floated up and off into the sky, where do they go? Well, luckily in today's story, we're about to find out. 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.
- [01:30]
Sponsor
Hey parents. If your little ones love learning as much as they love story time, I've got something special for you. ABC Mouse is the award winning and super fun learning adventure app made just for kids aged 2 to 8. It's packed with over 10,000 awesome activities across reading, maths, science, art, art and more. Your little explorer can dive into magical puzzles, colourful books, exciting games and catchy songs all created by expert teachers to help them learn at their own pace while having a blast. It's safe, ad free and designed to keep your child engaged without any interruptions. Whether you're enjoying some family time together.
- [02:13]
Abby
In the evenings or looking for something.
- [02:16]
Sponsor
Educational to explore during the day, ABC Mouse is a brilliant screen time solution. You can try it out for free with a one month trial and after that it's just $14.99 a month until.
- [02:27]
Abby
Cancelled or choose an annual membership for.
- [02:30]
Sponsor
Just 45 a year until cancelled. Head to www.abcmouse.com koalamoon to get started today.
- [02:39]
Abby
You'll also find the link in our.
- [02:41]
Sponsor
Latest episode Show Notes to make it extra easy.
- [02:45]
Kelly
Heya sleepyheads. I'm Kelly, the host of Koala Shine, the perfect daytime adventure show for long car journeys, school runs and lazy Sunday mornings. I'm popping up here on Koala Moon because I've heard you want more Koala Kids stories and I'm here to deliver. Beep beep. Special delivery. Koala Shine is a tiny bit different from Koala Moon as it's designed for daytime listening. So after a great night's sleep with a story from Abby, you can have a big old stretch and tune into Koala Shine, joining your favorite characters on crazy adventures around the world with new episodes every Friday. We'll follow Hector and Sunny on a daytime safari, explore the big city with Munchie the Raccoon, and visit the circus with Super Soul. You'll also hear cool facts, jokes, and learn about the world we live in. Plus, there's a chance for your voices to be featured on the podcast too. Koala Shine offers mindful fun entertainment on the move designed to spark curiosity. Search Koala Shine now on your favorite podcast platform and be sure to hit follow so that finding your next adventure is easy peasy lemon squeezy. Hope to see you there, Koala Shine.
- [03:55]
Abby
So strap in and make sure you're ready for a dizzying trip above the clouds because we're heading off to meet two best friends, Kitty and Ross, and one very special bright red balloon. Now then, before we begin, let's get ready to listen by relaxing back into bed. Stretch yourself out long and place your hands on your belly as you breathe deeply in and out. See if your tummy inflates gently and then deflates just like a little balloon. Take a few breaths in and out, just letting your mind wander and your belly under your hands. Rise and fall softly, in and out, in and out, up and down, up and down. That's lovely. I hope you're all really relaxed now and ready for me to start the Kingdom of Lost Bloons By Luke Prendergast in the middle of the countryside, among the rolling fields of grass and wheat and barley, where sheep and cows grazed peacefully and brooks trickled through clutches of leafy woodland, stood two red brick cottages. They were the only two houses for miles and miles, and the nearest town to them was a long drive away. So it was pretty lucky for Kitty, who lived in one of the cottages, that her best friend Ross lived in the other. Maybe they became best friends because they lived next door to each other, but if you asked her, Kitty thought there was more to it than that. As far as she was concerned, it was more like an act of fate than of mere chance that Ross's parents had decided to move into the house next door to her because from the moment she and Ross met, they knew they were going to be the best of friends. They loved doing all the same things. Climbing trees, building forts, play fighting with sticks. They liked watching the ducklings paddling down the river. And they liked putting up a tent in the garden and listening to the hoots the owls made to each other through the night. But most of all, they liked sending messages tied to the ends of balloons. Ross's dad kept a tank of helium in his garage and every now and then he'd drive Kitty and Ross into town to buy a little pouch of biodegradable balloons. Then they'd blow them up, draw faces on them in black marker pen and let them bob about the ceiling of the garage like a crowd of multicolored, funny looking people. After that, they'd take a couple of the balloons and tie little pieces of card onto the ends. On these cards they'd have written notes, things like hello from Kitty and Ross or this balloon is a gift from an extraterrestrial. They'd go outside and let the balloon go and watch it fly off into the sky until it disappeared out of sight. For a long time afterwards, they'd wonder where in the world the balloon would land and whether the person who found it would laugh over their messages. One day, when they were clambering up huge cylindrical hay bales as though they were mountains to climb, Ross told Kitty that he had some news for her. His dad had got a new job and in just a couple of weeks time they'd be moving house to the other side of the country. At first Kitty was sad when she heard this news, but soon she brightened up. She was excited for Ross, getting to discover a new place and start a new chapter in his life. And they'd still be best friends, wouldn't they? Of course, said Ross. You'll always be my best friend. You'll have to come and visit me when I've moved and I'll leave you the new address so we can be pen pals. The prospect of being pen pals was very exciting indeed. Kitty had never had someone to write letters to before. Suddenly her dreams were filled with scrolled up bits of parchment covered with curling calligraphy and blots of ink. And for the following weeks, Kitty and Ross couldn't stop talking about all the things they'd do when she came to visit Ross new house, the adventures they'd go on, the fresh new sights they'd have to see. On the day that Ross was due to move, he came over to Kitty's house, gave her a big hug and handed Her a scrap of paper with his new address on it. Show that you can write to me, he said. Kitty gave him a big squeeze. She stood on the road and waved as she watched Ross and his parents drive away with all of their belongings stuffed into their big green Jeep. The following day, Kitty decided she'd write her first letter to Ross. But when she fished about in her pocket for the scrap of paper with his address, she made a terrible discovery. The scrap of paper wasn't there. She looked for it everywhere. In all her clothes, all over her bedroom, all throughout the house and garden. She even enlisted her parents to help her look. But it was nowhere to be found. For a little while, then, poor Kitty felt rather helpless. Ross would be waiting for her letter, and if it never came, maybe he'd think she didn't want to be friends anymore. He'd think that she'd forgotten all about him already. And without knowing where to find him or how to contact him, there was nothing she'd be able to do. But then. Ping. An idea popped into her head and she smiled. She took a bright red balloon from a packet, snuck over to Ross's old garage where his dad had left the helium canister, and filled up the red balloon. She tied a string to it, and with a big black marker pen, she drew a big smiley face on the balloon. Finally, Kitty tied a note to the end of the string. Hi, Ross, I lost your address. Write to me from Kitty. Kitty went outside into the garden, closed her eyes, wished as hard as she could that this would work, and let go of the balloon. She watched the bright red face drift up into the pale blue sky until it was just a little dot. Then it disappeared completely. When the little girl, Kitty, first let go of him, Pop the balloon felt a small flash of fear. He was no longer attached to anything. He was unmoored, untethered, left to float up, up, up into the sky. But the fear quickly dissolved into the bubbling of enjoyment. What fun it turned out to be to fly up above the world. He gazed down below him at the farmland and woodland and little houses that looked from up here, so small that even he wouldn't be able to fit in them. He could even see Kitty, like a little toy figurine, staring back up at him. Pop, the balloon was on a mission. A mission that was directly connected to the scrap of paper tied to the end of his string. He had to find Kitty's best friend, Ross, and deliver her message to him. Their whole friendship depended on him. But there was one pretty big problem. Pop didn't know where Ross lived. And even if he did know where Ross lived, he wouldn't know how to get there. Because right now, whether Pop liked it or not, he was only heading in one direction. Up. Pop looked up into the sky. Just as he reached the first layer of thin, wispy clouds, he sailed right through them, their fluffy whiteness as insubstantial as the air itself, only leaving little droplets of water all over his rubbery body. And when he was through the clouds, he just kept on going, drifting ever upwards into the sky. Just where, he wondered, could he be heading? Minutes and minutes passed and all he saw was the expanse of azure blue sky. Beautiful, he admitted, but also endless. Not even a plane or a cloud to break up the blue. He gave a big yawn, wondering how much more sky he could endure when he spotted something ahead. At first he didn't know what it was. It looked like hundreds of little dots. Then he got closer and he saw that the dots were all different colours. At last he realised that they were in fact, not dots at all, but balloons, just like him. Hundreds and hundreds of them, of every colour imaginable. Blue and red and gold and green, all hanging out together in the sky. Pop floated towards the group and when he reached them, a silver balloon with a pair of spectacles drawn on her face turned to him and said, hello and welcome. Hello, said Pop, and thank you for the welcome. But welcome to where? Ah, said the silver balloon in a warm and soothing voice, welcome to the Kingdom of Lost Bloons. The Kingdom of the Lost Bloons? Pop repeated. What's that? Well, the silver balloon said, let me explain. The Kingdom of Lost Bloons is where all those Bloons that have ever been let go of, or whose strings have accidentally become untied from their anchors drift off to its a balloon paradise in the sky. We all bob about and play games and drift through the sky, looking at all the beautiful sights below. And you, she added with a big smile, are our newest arrival. Welcome. This is your home. Now. Pop had to admit that the Kingdom of Lost Bloons sounded wonderful and looked like a tranquil kind of place too. He'd be very happy, he thought, living here forever. But alas, he couldn't stay. He had something terribly important that he needed to do. And so Pop began to explain to the silver balloon about his mission, how Kitty had put a message on the end of his string for Ross and how, as a consequence, he desperately needed to find him. And as he told his story, all of the other balloons stopped their chattering and gathered behind the silver balloon to listen to him speak. When at last he finished, the silver balloon nodded gravely. Well, she said, that is a very important mission indeed. Her friendship hangs in the balance. And we all know there is very little in the world more important than friendship. We'll do everything we can to help you. Now, do you know where this little boy Ross lives? If Pop had had fingers, he would have scratched his head. In the end, he had to admit that he didn't have the foggiest idea where Ross might live. Well, said the silver balloon, that's no problem. We'll go and ask the Parliament of Owls. The Parliament of Owls? Pop asked. Oh, yes, said the silver balloon. They're the wisest bunch of birds in the whole sky. If anyone knows where Ross lives now, they will. With that, the silver balloon, accompanied by all the other balloons, let Pop driftily across the sky until they came upon.
- [18:31]
Sponsor
A group of old owls perched on.
- [18:34]
Abby
Top of a big fluffy cloud. This, thought Pop to himself, must be the Parliament that had been mentioned so often. The silver balloon began to explain Pop's predicament to a particularly old bird with snowy white feathers who appeared to be the leader of the Parliament of Owls. When she was finished, the old owl nodded and twitched his beak. Then he consulted in a series of low murmurs and hoots with the rest of the Parliament. That went on for quite some time. At last the old owl turned back to the silver balloon and said, alas, we know not this Ross that you talk of. Pop felt crestfallen. If the Parliament of Owls didn't know where Ross lived, then how on earth was he going to deliver the letter? Seeing that Pop looked sorely disappointed, the wise old owl asked if there was any more information about Ross that they could use to find him. Pop racked his brains and thought until his rubbery head began to squeak, but could think of nothing. He knew as little about where Ross lived now as Kitty did. That's to say, he didn't know anything at all. I don't know. He sighed in despair. All I know is that he used to live in the cottage next to Kitty's, and now he's moved house. He drove off with his parents in their big green jeep, and now he's. But Pop trailed off because the old white owl had given a surprise little start. Oh, a big green jeep. He repeated, ruffling his feathers. Well, why didn't you say so? We saw a big green jeep on the roads just yesterday. You did? Asked Pop. Oh, yes, said the old Owl. We don't know if it's Ross's jeep, but it could be. Pop felt little bubbles of hope fritter about inside him. The old owl was right. It might not be Ross at all. There were probably lots of people who drove green jeeps. But it was the only lead they had. Could you show me where the jeep went? Pop asked the old owl. Why? The old owl replied, I can do better than that. I can take you there. And taking Pop's string gingerly in his beak, the old white owl flapped his wings and they began to sail off through the sky. All across the country they flew. They passed over towns and cities, over neatly hedged fields and huge, expansive forests. Soon they came to a little house on the edge of a town, and the old owl said, here we are. This is the place. It was true. Pop could see a green Jeep parked outside the house. And as the old owl flapped his wings to take Ross down to it, Pop was filled with a mix of hope and fear. Could this really, truly be Ross's house? Or was it merely the house of someone else? A stranger with a green jeep who had nothing to do with Ross at all? As they sailed towards the window, Pop just didn't know. Three days had passed since Kitty had tied the note to the bright red balloon and released it into the sky. Ever since, she'd been able to think about little else. Had the balloon reached Ross? Had it been intercepted by someone else? Or worst of all, had it been lost in the sky, never to return to earth again? As one day went by and then another and there was no news from Ross, Kitty, who was usually such an optimistic girl, began to lose a little hope. There was no chance, she thought miserably, of the balloon reaching Ross. It had been a silly idea, the stuff of dreams and made up stories, not of real life. Then in the afternoon, as she sat on her bed looking out of her window, she saw something approaching through the sky. She squinted her eyes in an attempt to see it more clearly. What could it be? When she saw what it was, a wave of warm excitement rolled through her. She got out of bed and left her room, tripping lightly down the stairs, through the front door and out into the garden, where a bright red balloon, her bright red balloon was drifting down towards the grass. Kitty grasped the balloon by the string. She recognised its smiling face. It really was her bright red balloon. Then she saw that there was a note tied to the bottom. And yet something was odd about it. That's right. It wasn't the same note that she'd written and tied to it. That wasn't her handwriting. It was Ross's. Dear Kitty, the note read, here is my address. Don't lose it this time. Forever. Your best friend, Ross. Kitty's eyes filled up with tears of joy and relief. So her wish had come true. The balloon had found its way to Ross, and he had written a note and sent it back to her. Suddenly the world seemed to Kitty a very remarkable place, full of magic and wonder, friendship and beauty. She hugged the bright red balloon tightly. Thank you, she whispered to it. Thank you for bringing my friend back to me. And with those words, Kitty let the bright red balloon go. She watched it as it flew, note free, back up into the sky, where it would merrily join all of its new friends up above the clouds in the kingdom of lost balloons. When finally the balloon had disappeared, Kitty turned on her heels, clutching Ross's note tightly in her hand. She climbed the stairs, went into her room and sat at her desk. She found a piece of paper and took the lid off her pen. For a moment she stared at her wall, lost in contemplation. Then she pressed the nib of her pen to the paper and watched the ink begin to flow. She had a letter to write.