Hana the rabbit was lying in bed, wide awake. She turned over. She turned back. She fluffed her pillow. But sleep just wouldn’t come. ‘I can’t sleep,’ she sighed.
Nico the hedgehog peeked in. ‘Try counting fireflies,’ said Nico. ‘Come and sit by the window.’ They took their blankets, and out they went into the night.
One tiny light blinked on in the dark. ‘One,’ whispered Hana. A second light blinked. ‘Two.’ Then a third, a fourth, a fifth. ‘Three... Four... Five...’
The fireflies danced and swirled, glowing gold and green. ‘Six... Seven...’ Hana yawned. Her counting slowed down. ‘Eight...’ Nico yawned too. ‘Nine...’
‘Ten,’ Hana mumbled. She leaned against Nico’s shoulder. The lights blurred and swam. ‘Eleven...’ she whispered, and then her voice trailed off into a long, soft breath.
Nico smiled. He carried Hana back to bed and tucked the blanket under her chin. Outside, the fireflies kept on glowing, one, two, three, all night long.
The little lesson
Counting slowly and breathing deeply can help you drift off to sleep.
Let’s talk about it
- Can you count fireflies with me?
- What do you do when you can’t sleep?
Finish stories to collect Hana as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
More Bedtime stories
Dev Listens to the Moon
Everyone is awake, until the moon begins to hum a gentle lullaby.
All Aboard the Night Train, Kofi!
Chug, chug, chug. The night train collects sleepy animals and carries them all the way to dreamland.
Counting Fireflies with Suki
Suki can’t fall asleep, so she counts fireflies. One, two, three...
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