The Sleepy Sloth Sleuth & The Beaver’s Bicycle 🦥 🦫 Bedtime Stories For Kids | Rewind

[00:00:10] 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's tale is a super imaginative and fun one. We're back with the budding detective Safi and Moose, otherwise known as the Sleepy Sloth Sleuth and her sidekick. They are a sloth and a Great Dane dog, nope not a moose, and they make the best team for solving tricky mysteries.

[00:00:40] This time it's Buck the Beaver who enters their detective agency with a confusing conundrum. Someone has borrowed his bicycle, which is very typical because he often leaves it out for someone to borrow, but the only unusual thing is it never came back. But not to worry, Safi and Moose will crack the case. Before they do though, let's lie down back in bed and stretch out all of your limbs.

[00:01:06] As it stretch out your arms and your legs and give your hands and your feet a wiggle and a scrunch. Ooh, and then a stretch. And then a relax. Once more, stretch everything out, wiggle it about and relax.

[00:01:28] There we are now. Just shuffle about a bit so you get into your most comfiest, warmest, softest spot and close your eyes. Imagine the sunshine up there in the blue sky above and down below some rolling green fields. On the edge of those fields, somewhere there's a forest and it's full of tall trees.

[00:01:56] Oh, and there's a sleepy slow river running through it. Can you see it? Okay, this is The Sleepy Sloth Sleuth and the Beaver's Bicycle by Jane Thomas. Before we begin, here's a quick ad break, then we'll start tonight's bedtime story. If you'd like to support our podcast, enjoy ad-free listening and unlock all our premium stories, you can join the Coco Club.

[00:02:24] To join, follow the link in the show notes. Ready, everyone? Follow me! All of your family favorites are available on Disney+. I love it. Share the stories you grew up with with your kids, like Bear in the Big Blue House and Roly Poly Oly. That sounds like fun. Then discover new stories together. The more, the merrier. Like Sophia the First, Royal Magic, Bluey and Spidey and his amazing friends. Get ready to Spidey swing! On Disney+.

[00:02:52] All of these and more available this month. Disneyplus.com forward slash what's dash on. What exactly do you learn at a school for Royal Magic, Sophia? I can't wait to find out. Join Sophia! Welcome to Charmswell. Don't just stand there, we've got spares to learn. In her most magical adventure ever. My email looks giving me new powers. Real magic! It's a good thing I'm at a school for Royal Magic.

[00:03:16] Sophia the First, Royal Magic, a new series, is available May 25th on Disney Junior and next day on Disney+. Learn more at Disneyplus.com forward slash what's dash on. Hey grown-ups, this is a message just for you. Here at Koala Moon, we know that when children are well-rested, everything feels a little easier. For them and for you too. Bedtime really can shape how the next day begins.

[00:03:43] With Mental Health Awareness Week starting on the 11th of May, it's a good time to come back to those simple routines that help your child feel safe and settled. To support that, we're offering a 14-day free trial of Coco Club, available to claim up until the 26th of May. You'll get full access to our ad-free bedtime stories so your child can settle in without interruptions, alongside familiar favourites like Coco, Hector and Sunny, and Potato and Beans.

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[00:04:43] Sweet dreams. The world keeps turning because of the little acts of kindness some take it upon themselves to do every single day. Things like Betty Badger popping fresh loaves of bread into the community garden, so whoever needs one can come and take it,

[00:05:10] along with a handful of straight-from-the-earth, colour-of-the-setting-sun orange carrots. And those like Buck the beaver, who lives in a dam on Sleepy River, who lets anyone borrow his bright blue bicycle whenever they need. It comes complete with a shiny brass bell and a wicker basket, and there are blue tassels that blow in the wind attached to the ends of the handlebars.

[00:05:37] Because Buck is a very safety-conscious beaver, he always leaves a helmet resting on the seat too. Anyone is welcome to borrow his bicycle, but there is one rule in place. You must wear the helmet wherever you're going. Everyone in Sleepy Forest knows about his blue bicycle, and it helps that Buck has written, In a hurry? Borrow me! on a little sign that hangs on the frame.

[00:06:06] On the back of the sign it says, Buck beaver, number five, banks and braes, butter churn bend, please take me home after use. And in the five years Buck has lent out his bicycle, it has never once failed to come back by sunset. Beavers are most active at night after all, so it doesn't matter that his bicycle is out and about during the day. As long as it's there,

[00:06:34] waiting for him when he heads off for a midnight cycle ride, hanging a jar of fireflies over the handlebars as he goes, Buck is content. So, it is quite unusual for him to be out and about right now. It's early morning, and he's knocking on the door of Safi and Moose's detective agency. Buck is lucky because the pair have just arrived. Moose is still licking the sugar off his big St. Bernard paws,

[00:07:03] having just enjoyed a rather excellent donut. And Safi, the sloth, is clutching a cup of coffee as if her life depends on it. Safi doesn't do mornings. Come to that, she doesn't really do afternoons, or evenings, or nights either. But in the few minutes she manages to be awake, in between enjoying naps and sleeps and snoozes,

[00:07:31] she has a brilliant brain that can solve any mystery. Moose looks up and sees Buck and sets off bounding across the room to him to say hello to his friend, accidentally sending the beaver flying through the air. St. Bernard's are like that. Their breaks don't always work particularly well. When the two have disentangled themselves,

[00:07:56] Safi takes a sip of her coffee and smiles across at Buck. Good morning, she says. Got one of life's little mysteries that need solving? She says it, hopefully. Her brain eager to get to work on a new problem. Buck plumps himself down on the big beanbag that sits across from Safi's desk. Moose manoeuvres himself carefully back behind his own desk

[00:08:26] and takes up a pen and paper ready to make notes. He adopts his serious face, which in the grand scheme of things isn't particularly serious, as St. Bernard's invariably come a bit drooly, especially when they've recently finished eating donuts. It's my bicycle, says Buck. Safi nods encouragingly, gesturing with the coffee cup to suggest he should go on.

[00:08:56] Well, it's missing. Safi looks confused. Buck, you do have a sign on your bicycle saying, Borrow me. I would have thought it was fairly standard that your bicycle went missing. She exchanges what is meant to be a secret look with Moose. Moose tries to hide his snigger. Buck ignores them both.

[00:09:25] My bicycle is always being borrowed, he confirms. But it is always brought back. This time it hasn't been. I haven't seen it for three whole days and that's unheard of. Safi screws up her forehead and taps her fingers on her coffee cup. Perhaps that will help her think.

[00:09:54] Maybe, she says at last, drawing out the word. Maybe someone doesn't know where you live. The address is on the back of the sign, says Buck. Ah, says Safi, then screws up her forehead once more. Aha, she says at last.

[00:10:20] Maybe creatures keep bringing the bicycle back. Buck, but you haven't noticed because you've been asleep. Not, she adds hastily, that sleeping in the day is a bad thing. As if to confirm her thoughts on sleeping in the day, her face almost splits in two with a giant yawn. She takes another gulp of coffee. Well, says Buck.

[00:10:47] That might sometimes be true, but as it happens, it's damn building season. And I've been awake all day and all night for the last three days. My bicycle hasn't been anywhere near my home in all that time. I know, because I've been looking out for it. Safi looks across at Moose, who just shrugs. It's all a mystery to him.

[00:11:17] Buck stands up, hauling himself out of the beanbag with a wiggle of his bottom and a huff and a puff. I'm sorry, I have to get back to the dam, but please help me find my bicycle again. I'd hate for it to be lost forever. Here, I have a photograph for you. Safi and Moose, and basically everyone in Sleepy Forest,

[00:11:44] know perfectly well what Buck's bike looks like. But nevertheless, she takes the photo. The blue bike is leaning up against a hedgerow filled with honeysuckle. The long, yellow tendrils of the flowers draping over the basket and handlebars and seat. And Buck is in front, helmet in place on his head, of course, and giving a double thumbs up.

[00:12:11] We'll have it back to you by nightfall, promises Safi, as Buck closes the door behind him. How can you be so sure of that? Asks Moose. Simple, says Safi. It's the same as everything. We just need to figure out the who, the why, the where, the when.

[00:12:37] I'll just, you know, take a nap while I think about it. Safi rests her head on her desk and starts snoring gentle sloth snores. Moose pads quietly over and carefully removes the photo from between her claws and then heads outside. He'll start asking questions while Safi has a little sleep.

[00:13:05] Outside in the street, Moose starts approaching passers-by, holding up the photograph of the bicycle. He starts off by asking, Excuse me, have you seen this bicycle? And since everyone but everyone responds with, Oh, you mean Buck's bike? He tucks the photo away in his satchel and just starts asking if they've seen Buck's bike. It seems simpler.

[00:13:33] After half an hour of asking, and a lot of creatures have of course seen the bike, just not in the last three days, Moose finally has some luck. A very serious-looking tortoise says, Why, yes, he borrowed the bike just three days before. He'd picked it up from outside Buck's home as he was in a hurry and, as he said with a very serious look on his face,

[00:14:01] tortoises weren't exactly speedy creatures. Moose adopted his most solemn face and said, Oh, really? Goodness. He'd heard that but was never quite sure if it was true. The tortoise couldn't decide if Moose was joking or not, but he carried on. He'd borrowed the bike, he said,

[00:14:26] because he'd needed to get to his sister's wedding on the far side of the forest, and he was going to be late otherwise. Moose pointed to the door of the office and asked if the tortoise wouldn't mind repeating his story to the sloth inside. The tortoise said, Not at all, not at all. And Moose bounded ahead to wake up Safi. As she stretched her arms up in the air,

[00:14:54] she declared she'd had a brilliant idea. Oh, why don't? We go out onto the street and ask if anyone has seen the bicycle. Well, yes, I rather thought, started Moose, but he was interrupted by the tortoise who came creaking slowly through the door.

[00:15:21] I borrowed the bicycle three days ago, miss, he said politely. I took it to the church on the far side of the forest for my sister's wedding, you see. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must get back to my day.

[00:15:46] The tortoise eased himself out of the office and as soon as the door closed, Safi clapped her hands. Well, she declared. Well, she declared. We don't even need to go outside and ask. Information just comes to us. Wonderful. Moose was about to explain when he thought the better of it.

[00:16:15] He walked over to Safi's desk and helped her climb aboard his bag. We'll go to the church, she said. Ten to one, the bicycle is leaning up against the wall there. The two set off towards the church, Safi taking the chance to squeeze in a nap as they went, just in case any brilliant ideas came to her along the way,

[00:16:42] and Moose saying good morning and hello to anyone they passed. It was a beautiful, sunshiny sort of a day, and he walked slowly, great paws padding softly along the ground. As they arrived at the church, the bells rang out announcing midday and waking up Safi. The pair of them paced the perimeter of the church's grounds looking for the bicycle

[00:17:12] and then went inside the gardens and searched there too and finally entered the church itself to have a good look. No bicycle, blue or otherwise, could be seen. As they sat on the step outside, the church organ started to play. Let's go in, said Safi. But we can hear the music out here, said Moose,

[00:17:42] stretching out in the sunshine, loving the warmth on his face. Maybe whoever is playing has seen the bicycle, explained Safi. Moose followed her inside, very glad that he didn't have the responsibility of being the brains of the operation. A snow-white mouse, wearing a very smart bright red bow tie, was playing the organ,

[00:18:12] paws reaching and scuttling across the keys to squeeze the music out of the ancient pipes. It turned out that the mouse had in fact borrowed the bicycle after the wedding three days before, because he had quite forgotten to pick up the sweet corn for dinner earlier in the day, and with the carrots and potatoes already on the stove, he needed to get to the shops in a hurry.

[00:18:41] As it happened, when he was in the store, the bicycle had disappeared from outside and he'd had to run all the way home. Safi climbed onto Moose's back, and together they headed back into town, to the store where the mouse had gone to buy the sweet corn. It was a hot day, the sort of day when just sitting in the sun makes you feel sleepy,

[00:19:07] and Safi dozed as they went, trying to decide if there was a quicker way of finding the bicycle after all. At this rate, they, well, Moose, would walk a thousand miles through the forest. The raccoon at the store looked almost embarrassed when Safi spoke to her. It was me, she said. I was having one of those terribly busy days,

[00:19:35] and I quite forgot it was Fiona's, that's my daughter, football practice after school. And I just thought she was upstairs doing her homework, then suddenly realised, oh my goodness, she will be at school waiting for me to walk her home. So when I saw the bicycle, I didn't think. I just leapt on it and charged over to the school.

[00:20:05] I don't suppose, asked Moose, that you took the bicycle home with you afterwards. The raccoon shook her head sadly. No, Fiona no longer fitted in the little wicker basket on the front of the bicycle, so she'd left it at the school. She'd fully planned to go back the next day and get it, but she'd quite forgotten.

[00:20:34] Memory is a problem of mine, she said. Saffi smiled and patted the raccoon's hand, then climbed back onto Moose and asked him to lead her to the school. By the time they made it to the school, it was going home time. Mums and dads and aunts and uncles were all waiting at the school gates, ready to pick up their little ones,

[00:21:03] and dozens and dozens of animals were pouring out of the classrooms and rushing over to them. Teachers tried to make things happen in orderly, organised lines, but none of that was happening, not today. With a lot of excuse me's and sorry's and pardon me's, Saffi and Moose eventually squeezed their way through the crowds

[00:21:31] and approached an elderly ostrich wearing a very smart golden waistcoat. The ostrich bent his long neck and peered down into the faces of Saffi and Moose, trying to hear what they were saying over the noise and bustle going on around them. A what? He boomed, leaning in closer and closer to hear better.

[00:21:58] A blue bicycle, roared Moose. Around him a few hedgehogs and baby badgers on their way out of school all had a giggle. A look of horror came over the ostrich's face. I did. I did have a blue bicycle, he gasped. Found it by the football field.

[00:22:25] My leg, you know, it's been hurting like billio this last week, and I just couldn't face the thought of walking home. Hmm, you could have flown. You're a bird after all, muttered Moose, more to himself than anyone else. Saffi leaned forwards and hissed in his ear. He's an ostrich, flightless bird.

[00:22:55] If a St. Bernard could blush, Moose would have done in that moment. Oh, I knew that, he mumbled, and turned his attention to brushing the dust off his paws. The ostrich was still talking, ignoring their side conversation. And when I got home, I thought, yes, it's a bicycle I need. I've a red one now, you know. Very jolly little number.

[00:23:23] My wife got me a gold helmet to go with my waistcoat. Oh, with the sunlight bouncing off, as I cycled along, I feel twenty years younger. I can tell you. Saffi finally managed to get a word in edgeways to ask what the ostrich had done with the blue bicycle he had borrowed. A look of confusion crossed his face. Do you know?

[00:23:51] That's the strangest thing, he said. It had gone. Vanished. Disappeared. Taken from my own front yard. Well, I figured Buck must have seen it and taken it back. Quite reasonably. Quite understandable. Saffi explained that was anything but what had happened,

[00:24:17] and yet another creature of sleepy forest must have borrowed the bicycle. The trail had gone cold. With no new leads to follow, Saffi and Moose headed slowly back to the office in the heart of town. They talked as they went, trying to distract themselves from the fact it looked very much as if they had failed Buck the Beaver, and his blue bicycle,

[00:24:46] with the blue tassels on the handlebars and the little wicker basket on the front, was not going to be coming home any time soon. It was heading towards the end of the day now, and everyone else was going home. Geese flew in Vs in the sky, honking a conversation between themselves as they went. Front doors were opened,

[00:25:12] and cheery welcome homes were given out with warm hugs. And then the doors were closed, and creatures bustled into kitchens and bathtubs and bedrooms. Moose and Saffi waved as Patrick and Winnie of Heavenly Hats locked their door and pulled down the blinds, and they waved as Betty Badger sent her last customer of the day off with a basket bulging with muffins.

[00:25:42] They were tired after their day of walking this way and that, across sleepy forest, and Moose was mentally eyeing up the beanbag in the office, imagining sinking into that, when they turned the corner and saw their front door in the distance. And you could have knocked them both down with a feather, for there, leaning up against the entrance of Saffi and Moose solving life's little mysteries,

[00:26:12] was a shiny blue bicycle, with a basket on the front, and blue tassels on the ends of the handlebars, and a helmet resting on the seat. A note was attached to the frame. Dear Saffi and Moose, it read, I borrowed this bicycle from outside Mr. Long John's home last night. That's the ostrich, who is a teacher.

[00:26:41] And I'm afraid I broke it. I was cycling along, singing my song, not paying much attention to anyone or anything, and I somehow wobbled right into the river. By the time I fished the bicycle out, the front wheel was quite bent, and the sign had come off with the return address. I hope you can help take this beautiful bicycle home to its rightful owner.

[00:27:09] Sorry for any trouble I've caused. Kind regards, Rodney, Rhino Horn. Saffi ran her hands around the front wheel. It was good as new, completely straight, and Rodney had done a wonderful job fixing it. He'd also washed all signs of the river off the bike, polishing every square inch of it right down to the little brass bell

[00:27:38] that still gave a satisfying, tring-a-ling sound when she tried it. Moose climbed onto the bicycle and lifted Saffi into the basket, and Moose carefully slipped the helmet over his head and pulled the buckle tight beneath his chin, and together, the pair of them set off towards Butterchurn Bend and the banks and brays.

[00:28:06] Moose was hardly surprised to see that Saffi was asleep in moments, lulled into a world of dreams as he pedalled slowly and steadily along the lanes of sleepy forest. The sun had all but set in the sky, and the moon was already showing itself, big and bright and round and full,

[00:28:33] shining as if somebody had turned a lamp on. Remembering what had happened to Rodney, Rhino Horn, Moose tried very hard not to get distracted by the bright pinpricks of stars that appeared in the velvet blue sky. As they reached the big wind in the river known as Butterchurn Bend, Saffi woke, reaching up her hand

[00:29:01] to tap Moose on the arm. Maybe, she said, maybe we don't tell Buck exactly how we found the bicycle. You mean, said Moose, we don't tell him the where's and the why's and the how's and the what's. Exactly, said Saffi. Magicians don't explain

[00:29:31] how their tricks are done, do they? Moose smiled to himself. He didn't suppose it really mattered how they came to be cycling along with Buck's blue bicycle. At the end of the day, quite literally, he thought, as the moon rose even higher in the sky, it was just important that Buck was getting his bicycle back.

[00:29:59] The beaver was delighted to see them and his bicycle once more. And he started to ask, where the... before stopping himself and saying, no, don't tell me. It only matters that it's back here with me. I see the sign is missing. I'll get on to that now. And, good as his word, the very next morning, the bicycle

[00:30:28] was once more leaning up against the entranceway to number five, Banks and Brays, Butterchurn Bend, with a sign that read, In a hurry, borrow me, on the one side, with his return address on the other. And if he checked in the basket, he'd also added a little notebook, on the front of which it read,

[00:30:56] My Bicycle's Adventures. Inside, Buck had asked anyone to note down where they had taken the bicycle, just so he knew where it had travelled and visited and he could imagine all the stories. The bicycle had been to churches and stores and schools and goodness knows where else. And he wanted to be able

[00:31:25] to see it all in his mind's eyes. Can you see it too? A solemn tortoise cycling slowly and sedately to his sister's wedding in a pretty flower-dressed church. Her little white mouse in a smart red bow tie pedalling across to the store to get sweetcorn. A raccoon going across town to meet her daughter

[00:31:54] after football practice. An ostrich in a gold waistcoat cycling carefully home at the end of the day, schoolbooks resting in the bicycle basket. And her rhinoceros whistling a tune quite distracted by the sight of a very beautiful rainbow and freewheeling down a path

[00:32:23] right into a gently rolling river where he lay on his back in the mud and laughed and laughed. little on that they can take again