The Little Bat Who Wouldn't Go to Bed 🦇💤 Rewind Kids Bedtime Story

[00:00:01] Hello and welcome back to Koala Moon, a podcast of original children's bedtime stories and meditations designed to make bedtime a dream. Tonight's little tale is a reimagining of the classic story by Clara Dillingham Pearson, and it features a curious little bat who wants to find out more about what goes on in the forest when he is usually asleep.

[00:00:28] 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. Subscribe in just two taps via the link in the show notes. But now here's a quick word from our sponsors.

[00:00:48] 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.

[00:01:11] 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.

[00:01:40] 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.

[00:01:58] Not only are the stories incredibly relaxing, but they have easy-to-understand language and gentle repetition, 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.

[00:02:21] So search Koala Tots on your favourite podcast player, and hit follow so you can find it easily night after night. Close your eyes, and now I'll begin The Little Bat Who Wouldn't Go To Bed by Gillian Rogerson.

[00:02:47] The eastern sky grew brighter as the sun woke up and got ready to shine its light across the forest. A family of bats flew through the sky and towards their cosy cave, ready to settle down in their beds. They'd had an amazing night, flying through the starlit forest, and had mingled with fireflies and talked to owls.

[00:03:14] Mama Bat looked back at her children who were flying behind her and said, Hurry up now, please. The sun will be rising over the horizon soon, and we need to be in our beds. Some of the young bats asked if they could have a bedtime story, and Mama Bat said, Of course they could, but only if they hurried up a little.

[00:03:38] Before I tell you a bedtime story, you'll need to get into your pyjamas, wash your face and brush your teeth. Hearing that, the bat children moved more quickly through the sky. Apart from one. One of the little bats didn't hurry up at all. In fact, he actually flew slower. He gazed down at the forest below him with an interested look on his face.

[00:04:08] Mama Bat noticed what the little bat was doing and said to Papa Bat, Please fly over to our youngest bat and see why he's slowing down. I can tell by the look on his face that something is on his mind. I'll take the rest of our children home and get them ready for bed. Papa Bat chuckled and said their youngest bat was certainly a curious one, and most likely had something on his mind again.

[00:04:38] The little bat always had questions about the world, and his parents did their best to answer his questions. They didn't mind, because the little bat's curiosity was one of the things his family loved about him. Papa Bat flew over to the little bat and asked why he wasn't hurrying home like his brothers and sisters. Aren't you tired?

[00:05:04] We've been out flying for hours, Papa Bat said. The little bat nodded. I am tired, but I'm not ready for bed yet. Father, look down at the forest. There are so many animals down there whom I've never met. Animals who come out in the day when we're asleep. I've heard the snowy owl talk about them,

[00:05:32] because she's awake in the day sometimes, and she's seen them. I want to meet them too. I'd like to know what they do all day, and I want to see what the sky looks like during the day too. The little bat slowed down even more as he looked down at the forest. He asked his father if he'd ever been in the forest in the daytime.

[00:06:00] I haven't, his father replied. He knew his youngest bat wouldn't rest until he knew the answers to his questions. Would you like to visit the animals of the day and talk to them? Oh, yes, I would love that, the little bat said with a big smile on his face. Do you want to come with me?

[00:06:29] Papa Bat shook his head and yawned. Oh, far too tired. I want to get into my soft, comfy bed and fall asleep. You're old enough to have an adventure on your own. Go and explore. When you're ready, fly back home. He gave the little bat a goodbye kiss on his head

[00:06:56] and then flew towards the family cave, where his family were already in their pyjamas. The little bat smiled to himself and wondered what he would discover on his adventure. The sun began to peep over the horizon and the sky turned a delicate shade of pale blue. It was a colour the little bat hadn't seen before

[00:07:24] and he thought it was quite beautiful. He swooped towards the forest. The early rays of the sun shone across the top of the treetops and turned the leaves from dark green to a paler green. It was another colour the little bat hadn't seen before. He was seeing a lot of new things already. A peculiar sound floated towards him from the trees.

[00:07:55] He recognised it as a bird's song because he'd heard birds of the night sing before, but he hadn't heard that particular tune and it was much louder than other bird songs he'd listened to. He wondered where the tune was coming from. He followed the sound and came to a little brown bird who was sitting on a branch and singing joyfully.

[00:08:23] The bird had the most extraordinary bright red chest and the little bat couldn't help but stare at the amazing bird. He soon remembered his manners, stopped staring and said hello to the bird. A very good morning to you, the bird replied. She smiled at the bat and tilted her head to one side as she gave him a closer look.

[00:08:54] Excuse my nosiness, but what kind of animal are you? I'm a bat and I've never been out in a day before. If it's not too rude, can I ask what kind of bird you are and why you are singing your beautiful song so loudly? I'm a robin. I sing every morning. I just can't help myself, the robin chuckled.

[00:09:21] I have such a good night's sleep that as soon as I wake up and see the sun rising over the trees, I just have to sing because I'm so happy. Do you feel like that when you've had a good night's sleep? We bats sleep in a cosy dark cave. It's very snug and comfy. I always have a great sleep. We wake up when the moon and stars appear.

[00:09:51] Thinking about sleeping made the bat yawn. He covered his mouth as he did so. The robin said, Do you sing when the moon appears? The bat shook his head. I've never sung any songs before. It's not something we bats do. I don't think I can sing. Everyone can sing. It's great fun.

[00:10:21] Would you like me to teach you a song? Then you can sing to the moon when you next see it. Oh, that would be lovely. Thank you so much. The robin and the bat settled themselves more comfortably on the branch. And then the bird taught the little bat how to sing. He soon learned how to do it. And the robin was right.

[00:10:50] It was great fun. They sang some songs together. And then the robin said she had to fly as she had things to do. The little bat thanked her for teaching him how to sing. And say goodbye to the robin. She flew away through the trees. The little bat hummed happily to himself. He couldn't wait to see the moon and sing to it.

[00:11:18] Perhaps he could teach his family to sing too. Thinking about the moon made him yawn again. Thoughts of his lovely, cosy bed floated into his mind and made him blink tiredly. Perhaps he should go home and get into his bed soon. He looked around at the forest.

[00:11:45] There was still a lot of exploring to do. So he decided he wouldn't go home until he'd met more animals. At that moment, a brown rabbit hopped happily through the undergrowth at the bottom of the tree. The little bat knew it was a rabbit. Because the snowy owl had told him what they looked like. He'd never seen a real rabbit before.

[00:12:12] So he flew off the branch and followed the rabbit as she hopped through the forest. The little bat called out a hello and said, Could we have a little chat please? I have some questions I'd like to ask you if that's okay. The rabbit stopped running, waved her paw in hello and said, Of course.

[00:12:39] Why don't you come down here and we'll sit under the shade of this tree while we talk. The little bat was glad to sit in the cool shade. He wasn't used to the sun's gentle heat. And although it felt lovely to feel so warm, He preferred the coolness of the night air. The rabbit and the little bat settled down in the grass.

[00:13:07] The rabbit asked the bat what he would like to know. Why were you running so fast? And what was that funny thing you did when you leapt into the air and then landed on the ground again? The rabbit smiled. Huh, you mean hopping? She stood up and performed a few hops for the bat. The bat nodded.

[00:13:37] Hopping? Is that what it's called? I've never seen anyone hop before. Oh, I love hopping, the rabbit said. It's one of my favourite things to do. And as soon as I wake up, I have to hop. You should try it. It's great fun. A little bat looked at his feet. I don't think bats are supposed to hop.

[00:14:07] But I'll give it a go. Can you show me what to do, please? I certainly can. Watch me. The brown rabbit hopped up and down on the spot. And then she ran around the tree, hopping joyfully. She came back to the bat and told him to have a go. The little bat put his feet on the warm grass.

[00:14:35] He'd never touched the forest ground before, because he was always flying above the trees and never needed to stop. Thinking about flying. Thinking about flying made him look up through the branches of the tree. He saw patches of blue sky. And soft, fluffy clouds drifting along.

[00:15:01] He liked flying very much and loved how the night breeze always felt so cool beneath his wings. When his family went out flying, they had a wonderful time soaring through the starlit sky before returning to their cave and going to sleep.

[00:15:25] The little bat yawned as he imagined his family asleep in their cosy beds. Even though he was tired, he wanted to see what hopping felt like. He watched the rabbit closely as she showed the bat what to do again. Then, the bat copied the rabbit's bouncing movements.

[00:15:54] It felt very peculiar to begin with. But the bat soon got used to it and hopped happily around the tree. He agreed with the rabbit that hopping was great fun. The rabbit said, Would you like to run through the forest with me? It's another one of my favourite things to do.

[00:16:20] I won't go too fast and you can let me know if you get tired. Some of my friends are playing out today and you can meet them. That sounded like a wonderful idea to the bat. So he hopped three times on the spot just for the fun of it and then followed the rabbit through the forest. The ground still felt unusual beneath his little bat feet.

[00:16:50] Sometimes it was muddy and other times it was dry. Fallen leaves and twigs lay on parts of the ground and it felt strange to be running over them. He did like the noise of twigs breaking under his feet though. It was a satisfying sound. The rabbit and the little bat met some other animals along the way.

[00:17:19] The bat said hello to a squirrel, a badger and three field mice. They told him what they did during the day and he told them what he did at night time. When the animals heard about his adventures they said it sounded marvellous to be able to fly through the night sky. The little bat nodded and said it was marvellous.

[00:17:49] Thinking about night time made him yawn and yawn again. He just couldn't stop himself. He blinked his eyes tiredly. He knew he should be heading back home soon but there were still things he wanted to see and animals he wanted to meet. The rabbit could see the little bat was growing tired

[00:18:19] and so offered him a lift on her back. The little bat thanked the kind rabbit and climbed onto her back. He yawned again. He was feeling very drowsy but he wouldn't go to bed. Not just yet. The rabbit took the bat towards a pond and introduced him to her frog friends.

[00:18:49] The little bat looked at the green frogs in amazement. They were leaping from one lily pad to another before then diving into the water. Some were doing something in the water that the little bat had never seen before. He asked the rabbit why the frogs in the pond were moving so strangely.

[00:19:19] They're swimming The rabbit replied. I tried it once but I wasn't keen on it. I much prefer being on dry land where I can run and hop. Why don't you have a chat with the frogs and see if they'll teach you how to swim? The little bat shook his head. Oh no I don't think bats are meant to swim

[00:19:45] but I would like to talk to the frogs. The rabbit lowered her back and the bat jumped off. The rabbit said she had to go because she was meeting a friend for lunch. The bat said thank you to the rabbit for the lift and then waved goodbye. The rabbit bounded away through the forest.

[00:20:14] The little bat walked towards the frogs and introduced himself. The frogs said they were very pleased to meet him and announced they'd never seen a bat in the day before. One of the frogs said I've seen bats flying through the sky sometimes when I'm in my bed. Tell me what does it feel like

[00:20:41] to fly through the night sky like that? Can you touch the stars? The little bat smiled. Not quite but sometimes it feels like I can. It's wonderful flying through the sky at night. The whole forest is covered in darkness and if I fly low enough to the trees

[00:21:09] I can hear animals snoring in their sleep. The smell of night is different to the day and so are the sounds. He told them more about his night time journeys and how he went flying every night with his family and sometimes with his friends too. He described his cave and how cosy and snug it was.

[00:21:39] He sighed happily. The frog sighed too and said the bat was lucky to be able to fly in and out of the stars every night. The bat agreed. But you're lucky to be able to swim in your pond. It looks like you're having a wonderful time in there.

[00:22:08] The frog nodded. Yes we love swimming. It's the first thing we do when we get up after a good sleep. We swim all day and sometimes we hop onto the lily pads and jump around for a while and then we swim again. The little bat said I can hop too. The kind rabbit

[00:22:38] who brought me here showed me how to do it. He hopped up and down. The frogs were very impressed and asked the bat if he could swim as well. The bat looked at the clear water in the pond. Bats are not meant to swim. At least I don't think so. But we're not meant

[00:23:07] to hop either or be out during the day. Is swimming a difficult thing to do? Not at all. Watch us. We'll stay right next to you in the water and if you need to get out we'll help you. Swimming is great fun. The bat walked carefully over to the pond and lowered his toe into it.

[00:23:36] The water was cool and inviting. He put his whole foot in and then his other one. It felt strange but in a nice way with help from the friendly frogs. frogs. The little bat went further into the water and copied the frogs as they swam slowly across the pond.

[00:24:07] It was a bit tricky at first but he soon got the hang of it and the frogs were right. Swimming was great fun. The little bat discovered he was extremely good at swimming especially on his back. He floated on his back and stretched out his wings in the cool water.

[00:24:37] He gazed at the blue sky. It was a lovely shade but he preferred the darker skies because that's when the moon and the stars were out. He drifted effortlessly across the water lost in his thoughts. He remembered the wonderful evenings he'd spent flying with his family and how beautiful

[00:25:06] the big moon had looked and how the stars twinkled so brightly. He thought about the calming noises of the night that drifted up from the forest, the sound of foxes wandering through the grass and the soft hoots that came from ours. They were such soothing sounds

[00:25:36] and always made him feel peaceful and calm. He closed his tired eyes and continued to drift across the pond. The frogs chattered quietly at his side. He felt more and more relaxed. From somewhere came the soft call of an owl's

[00:26:06] hoot. It was a noise that made the little bat smile gently and he imagined himself back in his cosy cave with his family. He felt himself drifting into sleep. He was so very tired. He felt a tap on his wing and opened his eyes.

[00:26:37] A frog was looking at him with a soft smile on her face. She said, It's time for you to go home and get into your bed, little bat. The bat yawned. But I don't want to go to bed. I want to stay awake and have more adventures.

[00:27:07] I know, but everyone has to sleep. Don't you love going to sleep in your soft bed? The bat nodded and yawned. And don't you love snuggling down under the covers and feeling so very comfy? The frog asked. The bat nodded again

[00:27:36] and yawned again. The frog said, I think you've had enough adventures for one day, my friend. it's time for you to rest and when you've had a good sleep, you'll be ready for more adventures. The bat liked the sound of that.

[00:28:05] I can't wait to tell my family and friends what I've been up to and I'll show them how to sing and hop and he let out a great big yawn. The frogs gathered around him and helped the little bat move

[00:28:35] over to the side of the pond. Then they gently helped him climb out of the water. He blinked tiredly and thanked them for their assistance. He was so very, very tired. He realised the friendly frog was right. It was time for him to go home and get

[00:29:05] into his bed. The bat looked at the sky. It seemed so far away and would be able to carry him home. At that moment a familiar friend appeared. It was the snowy owl. She said hello to the

[00:29:35] little bat and asked what he was doing in the forest during the day. The bat said sleepily, I was having an adventure but I want to go home now. The owl could see how tired the bat was. She held out a wing and said, I

[00:30:05] will carry you home little one. I'll have you back in your cave in no time. The little bat was far too tired to say thank you. So he gave the owl a slow sleepy smile instead. He moved closer to the owl's open wing

[00:30:34] and tucked himself inside. Her feathers were soft and fluffy. The little bat closed his eyes and rested his head on the feathers. he felt himself being lifted off the ground. He was glad he'd met the day animals

[00:31:04] and maybe one day he would return to the forest and talk to them again. But for now he was happy to be on his way home to his family and his soft comfy bed. As he was carried home the little bat fell deeper

[00:31:34] and deeper into a restful sleep. The owl arrived back at the bat's cave and tucked the little bat into his bed. She kissed him gently on his head and whispered little bat sweet dreams.