A Bee Bedtime Story: The Last Flower on the List

This original bee bedtime story is ready to read aloud. Bea finishes a round of fantasy flower deliveries and discovers that her final address has changed. Below the complete story, you will find a small way to adapt it together.

The Last Flower on the List

Bea the bee delivered tiny letters to the flowers in Window Box Lane. In this particular make-believe garden, flowers liked correspondence. The daisies ordered jokes. The pansies exchanged recipes they could not possibly cook.

Bea's last envelope was addressed to Marigold, Third Pot, Sunny Wall. It had a green border and a drawing of a striped teapot. She tucked it securely into her satchel and flew toward the wall.

The first pot held a geranium. The second held a busy arrangement of leaves. The third stood empty except for a round mark in the soil. Bea checked the address. Third pot. Sunny wall. Marigold.

She circled once. Perhaps she had counted from the wrong end. But counting backward led to the same empty pot, because there were only three.

"Moved," said the geranium.

"Where to?"

"Somewhere with a roof. I heard someone say porch."

There were four porches in Window Box Lane. Bea visited the nearest. A watering can stood beneath it, but no marigold. At the next porch, a cat watched her from a cushion. Bea stayed well clear and inspected the flowerpots from the gate.

At the third house she found a small yellow petal on the step. Beyond it, a round pot stood on a stool, sheltered from the afternoon breeze. Marigold leaned toward the light.

"Your letter," Bea said.

"You found me. I only moved this morning."

Bea handed over the envelope. Inside was a note from a sunflower at the end of the lane. He had drawn his new teapot because he thought its stripes resembled Bea's coat. Marigold laughed until her leaves shook.

"Would you carry my reply tomorrow?"

Bea took out her address book. This time she wrote Third House, Porch, On the Stool. Marigold checked every word. Then she added a tiny drawing of the porch roof beside the address.

With her satchel empty, Bea rested on the edge of the stool. The porch was a pleasant place to end a route. She could see the sunny wall across the lane and the empty pot waiting for its next resident.

Tomorrow she would bring a new label for the gate. Tonight she flew home with the updated address book under one wing and the picture of a striped teapot still making her smile.

One optional idea for reading together

Choose the name on the last envelope with your child, or replace the note's drawing with something they like. For a child who enjoys predicting, pause at the yellow petal and let them decide whether to offer a guess. When shortening the route, keep the first empty flowerpot and the reunion at the porch. Those two places explain why Bea changes direction.

Day2Tale creates personalized, narrated stories.

Sources: Day2Tale support and product features