The Sleepy Little Bunny Who Wanted to Stay Up

Wide Eyes in the Burrow

Underneath the big willow tree, deep inside a cozy warm burrow, lived a little white rabbit named Pippin.

Outside, the sun was dipping below the lavender hills. The crickets were tuning their tiny violins: chirp, chirp, chirp.

"Bedtime, little bunny," whispered Mama Bunny, smoothing Pippin’s long, velvety ears.

"Not sleepy, Mama!" Pippin said, wiggling his twitchy pink nose. "The stars are awake! The fireflies are blinking! I want to stay up all night long!"

Pippin hopped once. Hop! He hopped twice. Hop, hop!

On his third hop, his fuzzy paws felt just a tiny bit wobbly.

The Sleepy Forest Friends

Mama Bunny smiled gently and led Pippin to the entrance of their grassy burrow.

"Look across the meadow, little Pippin," she said softly.

High in the silver birch tree, the little robin chicks had tucked their beaks under their warm brown wings.

Down in the pond, the baby frogs were sitting on lily pads, closing their shiny eyes. Ribbit... hush.

Even the bright yellow buttercups in the grass were folding their petals together, saying goodnight to the breeze.

"Is everybody sleeping?" Pippin asked, his voice getting softer.

"The whole wide world is resting," Mama hummed. "When we sleep, our little paws grow stronger, and our sweet dreams show us the clover fields of tomorrow."

The Big Bunny Yawn

Mama Bunny picked up a soft blanket woven from dried sweet clover and dandelion fluff. She wrapped it gently around Pippin’s round tummy.

Pippin snuggled his chin into the mossy pillow.

Suddenly, a big feeling came from deep inside his tummy. It traveled up his fuzzy chest. It tickled his throat.

YAAAAAWN.

Pippin opened his mouth so wide his whiskers trembled. His heavy eyelids fluttered like moth wings.

"Close your eyes, sweet bunny," Mama whispered, kissing the tip of his soft left ear.

Pippin closed his eyes. The bed felt as soft as a cloud. The meadow outside was quiet.

Hop into dreamland, little one. Sleep until the morning sun.

With one tiny twitch of his nose, Pippin drifted off into the coziest bunny snooze in the whole wide forest.

Goodnight, little bunny. Sleep tight.