The Lion The Witch & Koko's Bathrobe 🐨👘 Bedtime Stories for Kids Podcast

[00:00:10] Hello and welcome back to Koala Moon, your podcast of original children's bedtime stories and meditations designed to make bedtime a dream. Tonight we're warmly welcoming Vera, Zadie and Phoenix into the Coco Club, thanks to your very, very generous Uncle Joshy who gifted you a subscription. Way to go, Uncle Joshy!

[00:00:33] It's great to have you three join us and what a fantastic, funny story we have for you coming up. I hope you enjoy it, along with all the other extra bonus episodes and ad-free listening coming your way from now on. 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.

[00:01:00] Subscribe in just two taps via the link in the show notes. But now, here's a quick word from our sponsors. Hey Koala Moon listeners! If your family loves imaginative adventures like the ones we share here, you'll absolutely love our friends over at the Stories Podcast. Every week they bring a new story to life, from retellings of classics like Snow White and Peter Rabbit, to completely original tales you won't hear anywhere else.

[00:01:29] Safe for all ages and perfect for sparking little imaginations, Stories Podcast is a must-listen for kids and grown-ups alike. Whether you're looking for screen-free fun at the weekend or something to help you wind down after school, just search Stories wherever you get your podcasts and discover a new adventure together. Hello Koala Moon listeners! If you have babies and toddlers in your family, then this announcement is for you.

[00:01:58] I'd like to tell you about my other sleep show, Koala Tots. It's got all the magic of Koala Moon, but it's made especially for the littlest of listeners, babies and toddlers. Koala Tots is packed with soothing stories and calming rhymes, perfect for helping babies and toddlers sleep like a dream. Not only are the stories incredibly relaxing, but they have easy-to-understand language and gentle repetition,

[00:02:24] designed to help with babies' cognitive development as they drift off to sleep. There's even appearances from some of the Koala Moon star favourites, alongside the cutest episodes like How to Hug a Hedgehog and Nugget's Cozy Night. So search Koala Tots on your favourite podcast player and hit follow so you can find it easily night after night.

[00:02:49] Soon we're going to join Coco on a lovely spring afternoon. It's bright, sunny and simply perfect for that thing that parents love most, spring cleaning. It's not usually Coco's favourite thing to do, but when he finds an old bathrobe with magical powers, his opinion changes. Intrigued? Me too.

[00:03:14] But let's first get into the sleepy mood by stretching and wriggling all the busyness out of your bodies. So breathe in. And sigh it out a few times. Breathe in. Sigh. Again. Sigh. As your breathing comes back to normal and your body feels ready to rest,

[00:03:43] snuggle down under your covers and close your eyes gently. Perfect. It's time to get started. This is The Lion, the Witch and Coco's Bathrobe by Luke Prendergast. Deep in the heart of a faraway forest stood a cosy wooden cabin.

[00:04:11] Inside the cabin lived a family of koalas. It was a very beautiful little cabin with polished wood and shining surfaces. The mama and papa koalas worked very hard to keep it clean, dusting countertops, scrubbing the tables and chairs, sweeping the floor and wiping the window panes until the glass glimmered. Everyone who lived in sleepy forest always remarked on what a clean and tidy cabin it was.

[00:04:40] But there was one room in the cabin that wasn't so tidy. That's right, you've got it. Coco's room. The thing was, Coco, like rather a lot of little kids, was not very good about keeping his room spick and span. And as a consequence, his parents were often telling him, sometimes secretly Coco thought of it as nagging him, to tidy it up.

[00:05:08] You can only go out and see your friends, his dad would tell him, once that room is cleaned up. Or, there'll be no more sticky toffee pudding for you, young man, his mum would say sternly, until something is done about your room. But no matter how often Coco begrudgingly tidied his room, somehow it always got messy again.

[00:05:37] It was funny how that happened. Coco thought to himself that it would have been much better if whoever had come up with the idea of bedrooms had made them so that once you tidied them once, they stayed that way forever. One afternoon arrived, one early spring afternoon, with bright yellow lights spilling through the treetops, and all the inhabitants of Sleepy Forest

[00:06:05] were busy with their annual spring clean. Coco's parents were at it too, emptying out the cupboards and giving them a dusting so that the whole cabin could be ready for a fresh new year of seasons. They had already told him that he ought to be getting his room in order too, but Coco was trying to avoid it. He'd already played tic-tac-toe with himself on the steamed-up bathroom mirror until he ran out of space.

[00:06:34] Then he played with his toys, making up all kinds of dramas and conversations between them. But soon enough, the toys got tired and he put them away again. Then he tried to creep downstairs and out of the front door so that he could go play on the swing set that hung off the strong tree bough outside the cabin. But just as he was tiptoeing across the kitchen floor, he heard his dad's voice.

[00:07:04] Uh-oh, he'd been caught. No, no, Coco, his dad said. I can see exactly what you're trying to do. You're just like me when I was your age. You can go and play outside once your room is tidy, which means the quicker it's done, the quicker you play. And don't forget to clean underneath your bed.

[00:07:33] Go on now, hop to it. And so Coco slunk up the cabin stairs and into his bedroom. Well, he had to admit his parents had a point. His room had reached levels of messiness never witnessed before. Clothes spilled out of the open closet and into piles on the floor. Toys were strewn around the room.

[00:08:03] And what was that under his desk? Oh dear, an old bit of toast he'd probably saved to have as a snack once and forgotten about. That wasn't good. So Coco got to work. He dropped the morsel of toast in the bin and gathered up big armfuls of clothes to shove back into the closet. He tried to stack his toys into piles, but each time he turned his back, they tumbled onto the floor again.

[00:08:34] Oof, tidying was hard work. And rather dull too, he had to say. And no matter how hard you tried to make the place look tidy, you never seemed to make any progress. That's what Coco thought anyway. Soon enough, Coco found that he'd given up on tidying his room and plonked himself on his back in the middle of his room, staring at the ceiling.

[00:09:03] Outside the window, there was twittering from the forest birds who swooped by, little twigs for their nests, clasped in their beaks. Coco rolled onto his side so that he was facing his bed, beneath which he could see a series of vague shadowy lumps. Well, his dad was right again. Somehow, a whole bunch of stuff had found its way under his bed.

[00:09:32] He wondered what on earth it could be. Coco crawled across the floor and stuck his paw under the bed, pulling out first an old sock and then a bright blue jumper decorated with woven blue ivy that he thought he'd lost last autumn. But there was still more stuff right at the back and Coco had to stretch his arm out super far to reach it.

[00:10:01] Gotcha, he whispered as his paw closed around something soft. From the dark recesses of his bed, he pulled out a stuffed toy lion. Wow, he said. I haven't seen you in ages. And I haven't, he added, after he'd reached under the bed once more and pulled out another toy, this one of a witch

[00:10:31] with a friendly face, a pointy black hat on top of a mass of red hair and a long black wand. Seen you for ages either. He smiled down at the two toys in his paws. He'd been looking for them forever. Coco peered underneath the bed once more. Surprisingly enough, there was still something under there, right at the back, huddled up

[00:11:01] against the wall. He stretched and stretched and stretched his paw, grabbed hold of it, and pulled it out. It was a fluffy blue bathrobe with a comfy looking hood and yellow pipe trimming and big snug pockets. It was a little dusty from being underneath the bed, but otherwise it was brand new.

[00:11:31] Coco gave it a shake to dispel some of the dust. I remember this bathrobe, said Coco to himself. It had been a gift for his birthday last year from Cuthbert the camel. Coco had never worn it. He felt a little bit guilty now that it had ended up beneath his bed, especially as it was such a cosy looking bathrobe. He remembered

[00:12:01] that Cuthbert had told him that there was something special about the bathrobe, that it had some kind of power. But he couldn't right now remember exactly what it was the old camel had said. Was it something about magic? Coco gave the bathrobe another shake. Then, without further ado, he slipped his arms through it and tied the belt around his waist.

[00:12:31] Oh, it was the snuggest, most cuddliest bathrobe imaginable. So good that Coco had automatically shut his eyes just so that he could be extra aware of the soft fabric on his fur and the tender nuzzle of the hood against his neck. Yes, Coco closed his eyes, breathed in deeply and sighed.

[00:13:00] and when he opened them up again, well, everything had changed. Or not quite everything. He was still in his bedroom in the cosy cabin in the woods, but his bedroom was now filled along with all his messy stuff with lots of perfect shining bubbles, all just drifting gently through the air,

[00:13:30] as if someone had just blown them. And there, by his feet, were the toy lion and witch, both of them smiling up at him. Yes, smiling, smiling and waving. Hello, Coco, said the witch in a deep and kind voice, and the lion gave a friendly kind of growl. Oh,

[00:14:00] hello there, said Coco, just recovering from his startlement. All kinds of weird and wonderful things happened in Sleepy Forest, but still it was always a bit of a surprise to see something magical happen right before your eyes, especially if that bit of magic involved bringing your soft toys to life. The witch spotted the look on Coco's face

[00:14:30] and gave a low chuckle. I suppose you're wondering what we're doing talking to you and how all these bubbles have ended up in your room. Coco nodded. That's exactly what I'm wondering actually, he said. Well, it's because you summoned us, of course, the

[00:15:00] witch explained. Summoned you? Coco asked. The witch nodded, as if that settled it. But, Coco said, how? By putting on the robe of requirement, of course, said the witch, also known as the giving gown, or the bring me what I

[00:15:29] need bath robe. Coco looked down at the unassuming fluffy blue bath robe Cuthbert had given him. The robe of requirement, he repeated. That's right, said the witch. Put on that magical bath robe, and whatever you need most in the world, just then it appears right before you.

[00:16:01] Coco blinked at the witch a few times. He wasn't very much less confused than he was before. And, he said slowly, what I needed most in the world was us, of course, said the witch, for I am the red witch of Rubber Dub Dub, also

[00:16:31] known as the queen of clean, or the sorceress of Shintopia. And this here is my trusty helper, Lenny the lion. Howdy, Lenny said. Coco gave him a wave. The red witch and Lenny the lion peered around Coco's room at the piles of clothes, the litter of toys, the tossed aside

[00:17:00] objects. Well, Lenny said, assure yourself it's not the worst we've ever seen. Oh no, the red witch agreed. nowhere near the worst. But it's a bit of a state, I will say, Lenny went on. So it's a spot of luck, the red witch said,

[00:17:31] that we're here to help you. If there's anything Lenny and I can skeptically. He couldn't believe cleaning could ever be fun. Oh yes, Lenny piped in, fun and relaxing. So shall we get to work?

[00:18:01] Coco looked from the witch to the lion and back again to the witch. There was nothing else for it, he guessed. He may as well give it a go. He nodded. Yes, please, he said. The red witch smiled delightedly and took a step back. She rose the long black spindle of her wand into the air before giving it a kind of twirling

[00:18:31] swoop. A stream of elegant bubbles blew out of the tip of it, sailing across the room and landing with a series of tiny little pops on a collection of little human figurines that lay in a jumble on the other side of the room. Then, before Coco's barely believing eyes, the figurines blinked and stood up. They patted down their

[00:19:00] trousers and shirts as though they'd just awoken from a long slumber and blinking happily around, they got to work. The little figurines headed for a nearby pile of clothes that had tumbled out of the wardrobe. One by one they picked up items of clothing, t-shirts and shorts, socks and shirts, jeans and underpants,

[00:19:30] folded them neatly and set them in well-organised piles. They whistled while they worked and seemed so merry doing it that soon Coco found that he was joining in, folding his clothes and sorting them into piles too. Meanwhile, Lenny was prowling around the edges of the room using his powerful lion's nose to sniff out any bits of old rubbish

[00:19:59] like sweet wrappers or apple cores that had ended up falling behind cupboards or out of sight on the shelves. When he found something, he tossed it into a rubbish bag. And all along, the red witch of Rubber Dub Dub was standing in the middle of the room, waving her wand about as though she were conducting an orchestra. Plumes of beautiful

[00:20:29] bubbles spilled from the end of her wand, pink bubbles and blue bubbles and yellow bubbles. And wherever the bubbles touched, something magical occurred. Scattered pens and pencils rose up into the air before sorting themselves neatly into Coco's pencil case, alongside his ruler and rubber, his pencil

[00:20:59] sharpener and crayons. books that lay on the floor or else balanced in wonky piles glided towards the bookshelf, arranging themselves in perfect alphabetical order. And bits of Lego, which were strewn all over the room, tumbled across the floor and hopped back into their big red box. Soon enough, the room

[00:21:28] was tidier than it had ever been before. All Coco had to do was straighten some wrinkles out of his bed sheet and plump his pillow up and it looked perfect. Or rather, it looked almost perfect. Just one last thing to do, announced the red witch. She gave another swish of her wand and all

[00:21:58] the bubbles that were floating peacefully around the room drifted towards the walls and windows, the top of Coco's desk, the post of his bed, and popped there in little soapy bursts. Once they were done, every surface of the room sparkled. There we go, said the red witch. That's better.

[00:22:29] Coco gazed around his gleaming room. It was better than better. It was perfect. Thank you ever so much, he said to the red queen. And to Lenny too. I've never, ever seen my room look so spick and span, as my parents would say. And you're right, that was a lot of

[00:22:59] fun. Oh yes, said Lenny, nothing so fun as a good spring clean. And now, and now, added the red witch, as promised. Now we move on to the relaxing part. The relaxing part? Coco asked. The red witch gave him a little grin. Now your

[00:23:29] room is all clean and tidy. It's time to get you clean and tidy too, she said. Are you ready? And as soon as Coco nodded, she gave a little flick of her wand. Out of the end of it came the biggest bubble Coco had seen yet. A bright pink bubble that grew and grew and grew

[00:23:58] until at last it came unstuck from her wand and floated towards Coco. Then, with a little pleasant popping sound, the bubble pressed against him and then he was inside it. He floated there inside the bubble as though suddenly he weighed nothing at all or gravity had stopped working. It was

[00:24:28] a very tranquil sensation indeed, floating there inside the pearly bubble. The bubble carrying Coco floated up into the air so that he was hovering in the middle of his room. Then, very smoothly indeed, as though he was sailing down the sleepy river on its most sleepiest of afternoons,

[00:24:57] the bubble followed the red witch and Lenny out of the bedroom, across the cabin landing, and into the bathroom on the other side. Here, other bubbles were already getting to work. They were filling up the bath with warm soapy water, the suds billowing like foamy mountain rangers floating on top of the sea. The big bubble

[00:25:26] carrying Coco came to a halt and appeared to hover just above the floor, as though allowing him to get off. He stepped down onto the bathroom floor and thanked the bubble, which disappeared with a merry little pop. A wonderful soothing smell filled the air, hints of lavender and chamomile and other wonderful calming

[00:25:56] herbs. The warm water looked so inviting that Coco couldn't resist it. He reached out his paw and dipped it in. The water was neither too hot nor too cold. It was just perfectly right. Go on, the red witch said encouragingly. Get in, it's for

[00:26:28] off the bath robe, the enchanted robe of requirement and slipped into the bath. As soon as he was submerged, he felt the warm water doing its magical work of soothing his muscles and making his whole body relax. He opened his eyes and saw the two rubber ducks who usually sat on the edge of the bath quacking happily at each other

[00:26:58] and paddling through the water. Okay, Coco, then he said, time for a scrub now. And from the rack on the wall the scrubbing brush and the soap bottle floated into the air. The bottle squirted a little soap onto the brush before the brush began to descend do. Coco knew

[00:27:28] just what it was coming to do. He raised his hands up in the air and then the brush was there scrubbing his chest and under his arms and under his chin. Then Coco turned over so that the magical scrubbing brush could scrub his back. That felt good. Yep, just the right amount of scratchy on his back.

[00:27:58] Coco flipped back over and lay with his head back and his feet poking out of the water so that the brush could scrub his soles. The red witch was absolutely right. This was the most relaxing scrub-a-dub-dub he had ever had. So relaxing in fact that he began to drift off and the world he was living in began to merge

[00:28:28] with his dreams so that for a little while he was not simply inside a bubble but he was a bubble floating sleepily through the forest. Coco didn't know how long he drifted off for but a knocking at the bathroom door roused him from his half slumber. He blinked blearily around. The water was

[00:28:58] not as warm as it had once been and the soap suds were beginning to dissolve. Coco looked down at the floor and saw his two toys lying there inanimate the red witch and Lenny the lion. Coco smiled to himself. Their work here was done and they'd returned back to their soft toy form.

[00:29:29] The knock at the door came again and his mum's voice called out softly Are you in there Coco? Coco? Yes Coco replied I'm coming out now. He slipped out of the bath and wrapped a towel around himself then he picked up the red witch and Lenny and the robe of requirement too. He opened the door.

[00:30:00] I finished tidying my room Coco told his mum so I thought I'd have a clean too. Oh said Coco's mum evidently a little surprised is that so? Coco nodded come take a look he said to her. So Coco led his mum back across the cabin landing and into his

[00:30:30] room. My my she whispered glancing around. I've never seen your room like this Coco. You did all this? Oh yes Coco said looking down at the toys in his hands and grinning. I worked very hard indeed. I can see

[00:31:00] that said his mum. Well I certainly think you deserve to go out and play now. But Coco didn't feel like going outside right now. He'd had so much fun cleaning with the Red Witch and Lenny and then such a relaxing bath that in fact he felt rather sleepy. He thought that it was

[00:31:29] in fact time for an early evening nap. Okay said his mum giving him a ruffle on the head. I'll call you when it's dinner time. Lots of delicious pancakes for you this evening I think. And throwing one final impressed look around Coco's room she slipped out and shut the door. Coco hung the blue

[00:31:59] bath robe on the back of his door. Then he finished toweling himself off, slipped on some extra soft pyjamas and climbed onto his bed. He tucked himself under the covers and placed the soft toy Red Witch and Lenny next to him. He knew that they wouldn't mind him taking all the credit for all the cleaning and tidying they'd done.

[00:32:29] He wanted to keep them secret after all, his new friends and the robe of requirement too. He was already looking forward to the following week once his room had inevitably got messy again because he knew that even a magical clean wouldn't stop it getting messy again. Then he'd slip the robe of requirement back on

[00:32:58] and he'd be able to hang out with the red witch and Lenny once more. Suddenly tidying his room didn't seem like such a terrible slog after all. In fact, he thought that it might become one of his favourite parts of the week. And so, hugging the red witch and Lenny tightly to his chest, Coco closed

[00:33:28] his eyes and let his mind drift off into a deep and peaceful sleep, floating off into a dreamland of shimmering bubbles and gleaming windows and witches with magical wands and lions who liked folding clothes and putting them neatly into wardrobes.