Speaker 1: Welcome to Snuggle Cozy Stories for kids. This episode is
Speaker 1: called Sleep Like a Black Bear. Snuggle is a production
Speaker 1: of Slumber Studios. Support the show, listen ad free and
Speaker 1: get exclusive access to monthly bonus episodes by joining Snuggle Premium.
Speaker 1: Check the episode description to find out more and sign
Speaker 1: up today. Hey friends, my name is Tom. It's so
Speaker 1: lovely to have you here for story time. Today's episode
Speaker 1: will be read by our friend Christen. You're going to
Speaker 1: pretend that you're a black bear living in the forest,
Speaker 1: searching for the perfect cozy place to sleep. Before we
Speaker 1: get started with our story. Let's find a cozy place
Speaker 1: for ourselves so we can get some rest. Make sure
Speaker 1: you're comfortable, then close your eyes and take a big
Speaker 1: breath in, then blow it all back out. Now, imagine
Speaker 1: your forest home, the woody smell of pine trees, the
Speaker 1: peaceful sounds of owls and crickets in the distance, and
Speaker 1: a cool evening breeze. This is where our story begins.
Speaker 2: It's been a long day full of adventures. Your body
Speaker 2: is so tired from crossing strong river currents, searching for
Speaker 2: your favorite fish, and foraging all day for the sweetest
Speaker 2: wild berries and tasty pine nuts. You've trekked across a
Speaker 2: lot of ground today with those huge, fur covered bare
Speaker 2: feet of yours. You also swam for hours in a
Speaker 2: cool stream, and you spent the afternoon climbing tall trees
Speaker 2: to get a big scoop of warm honey from a
Speaker 2: bustling beehive. You didn't nap today because you were so
Speaker 2: busy running around, playing and finding food. When winter arrives,
Speaker 2: you will begin hibernating sleeping for months, so it's very
Speaker 2: important that you fill up with as much food as
Speaker 2: possible while you have the warm sun to energize you.
Speaker 2: But now, as evening arrives, you are ready to slowly
Speaker 2: wind down. You take in a deep breath, stretch your
Speaker 2: furry arms up in the air, then breathe out slowly.
Speaker 2: It feels so relaxing. You breathe in again, hold the
Speaker 2: air inside your lungs, then let it all out. The
Speaker 2: sun has finally set and the moon and stars are
Speaker 2: just beginning to peek through the trees in front of you.
Speaker 2: As you amble toward the sleepy forest, you can let
Speaker 2: today's busy thoughts fly away. Imagine them fluttering away like
Speaker 2: shimmering butterflies. Spiraling up to the sky, where night birds
Speaker 2: glide and swoop above you. The leaves under your feet
Speaker 2: crunch and crackle as you focus on the many plants
Speaker 2: along the way. Young cedar trees are just beginning to
Speaker 2: branch out. Below them are plump mushrooms huddled together like
Speaker 2: a group of woodland friends, wearing floppy white hats. A
Speaker 2: carpet of green moss covers the thick tree trunks, creating
Speaker 2: a rich, earthy smell. It feels good to slow down
Speaker 2: and enjoy the peaceful evening rhythms all around you. You
Speaker 2: continue lumbering further into the forest, with each step taking
Speaker 2: a little longer than the last. You feel your heavy
Speaker 2: muscles wanting to stretch out and relax. Along the familiar pathway,
Speaker 2: you find the best tree branch to give yourself a long,
Speaker 2: satisfying backscratch. You rub your back from side to side
Speaker 2: and let out a side as the thick branch reaches
Speaker 2: the perfect spot. You are a beautiful creature with your
Speaker 2: shiny black coat and powerful arms and legs. Everyone in
Speaker 2: the forest respects you, and you respect them back because
Speaker 2: they are important too. Each member plays a part in
Speaker 2: making the environment thrive. Helping everything to live and grow.
Speaker 2: You may be the largest and most powerful creature, but
Speaker 2: even the tiniest ants deserve your respect. They do so
Speaker 2: much to help the forest, making sure everything works as
Speaker 2: it should. As you scratch your back on the tree branch,
Speaker 2: you feel very grateful to live in this special place.
Speaker 2: When you're ready, you continue on your way, taking in
Speaker 2: all the interesting smells. Your sense of smell is so
Speaker 2: powerful that you can detect a sweet honeycomb from more
Speaker 2: than a mile away. You take in another deep breath,
Speaker 2: and this time the smell of a BlackBerry bush wafts
Speaker 2: toward you. Even though you're tired, you follow this smell
Speaker 2: because you love blackberries. When you find the bush, you
Speaker 2: carefully pick a few blackberries and pop them into your mouth.
Speaker 2: The juicy, plump berries burst with sweetness. You eat a
Speaker 2: few more than continue on your quest to find your
Speaker 2: favorite sleeping den. On your way, you breathe in the
Speaker 2: woodsy pine trees and damp earth, combined with the familiar
Speaker 2: smells of all your fellow forest creatures. Looking up, you
Speaker 2: spot some cute gray squirrels. They're scurrying along treetops looking
Speaker 2: for their overnight resting spots. The squirrel's energy level impresses
Speaker 2: you as their tiny bodies race around with speed and
Speaker 2: ease deeper into the forest. Across a tiny stream. A
Speaker 2: sleepy deer family nestles together around a tree trunk. One
Speaker 2: of the deer has really big antlers on top of
Speaker 2: his head. You wonder what it would feel like to
Speaker 2: have antlers on your head. It seems like they might
Speaker 2: get in the way, especially while climbing up trees or
Speaker 2: swimming in rivers. Little further on, you see a black
Speaker 2: and white skunk. She meanders toward you, with her two
Speaker 2: babies following behind her. You know how skunks react when
Speaker 2: they're taken by surprise, so you keep your distance, admiring
Speaker 2: how their fluffy tails stand straight up as they head
Speaker 2: toward their own quiet sleeping spot. But what always catches
Speaker 2: your attention most is the fruit bats. They have incredible
Speaker 2: radar skills which allow them to dodge their way around
Speaker 2: every obstacle in the forest. You are amazed at how
Speaker 2: they find the fast tree branches to settle on before
Speaker 2: they fall asleep while hanging upside down. There is no
Speaker 2: way a bary your size could ever sleep this way,
Speaker 2: but it's fun to imagine what it would look like.
Speaker 2: As you approach the densest part of the forest, you
Speaker 2: hear soft owl voices calling out to each other, their
Speaker 2: hoops echoing above you. Nearby crickets chirp, and far away,
Speaker 2: a coyote howls at the glowing moon. All the while,
Speaker 2: the wind gently plays with the leaves, making them flutter
Speaker 2: all around you. This sleepy nature music is pleasing to
Speaker 2: your ears and makes your drooping eyelids feel so heavy.
Speaker 2: All of these woodland creatures reassure you that you are
Speaker 2: exactly where you should be tonight. You are finally home.
Speaker 2: Just a few more steps in front of you is
Speaker 2: your special den. Three large fallen trees have formed a
Speaker 2: perfectly enclosed space. Their tangled branches reach across each other,
Speaker 2: with vines intertwining among them. This is the best place
Speaker 2: to sleep in the entire forest. You quietly enter the
Speaker 2: den and notice the strong earthy scent. With your large claws,
Speaker 2: you comb through the leaves on the ground and make
Speaker 2: a comfy spot to snuggle into. You notice the air
Speaker 2: temperature is perfect as you finally begin to fully relax
Speaker 2: with your soft belly, satisfied from a good day of
Speaker 2: hunting and gathering, you roll onto your back. Then you
Speaker 2: rest your tired furry head on a smooth stone that
Speaker 2: is both cooling and comfortable. You do not need a blanket,
Speaker 2: because your a thick bear fur keeps you warm. Above you, you
Speaker 2: hear the soft sound of rain landing on the leaves.
Speaker 2: The rhythm is so relaxing. All of today's adventures are
Speaker 2: now merging into a misty cloud of memories. The roaring
Speaker 2: white rivers, the splashing silvery fish, the tasty red berries,
Speaker 2: and the warm, sweet honey. Your thoughts are beginning to
Speaker 2: drift away. There will be more exciting things to do tomorrow,
Speaker 2: but right now you can let your bare dreams come
Speaker 2: rolling in. Before finally closing your eyes for the night,
Speaker 2: you see just a glimpse of the moon's glow. It's
Speaker 2: beaming in through the leaves above you. And at last
Speaker 2: your eyes close. Breathing in deeply, You're so grateful to
Speaker 2: be right here. Breathing out, you feel safe. You breathe
Speaker 2: in once more, and as you breathe out, you enter
Speaker 2: the land of sweet dreams. Good Night, sleepy black bear,
Speaker 2: sleep tight.
Speaker 1: D n the sash