A Dragon Bedtime Story: The Bread Bell

For a dragon story without a battle, read about Orin and a bakery that needs a quieter signal. This original tale has no villains, fire-breathing emergency or cliffhanger.

The Bread Bell

Orin’s bakery stood at the foot of a hill. Every afternoon he baked twelve round loaves. When they were ready, he rang a brass bell beside the door.

DING-DONG! It rang across the square, down the lane and into the garden where Mrs. Plum was trying to count her seedlings.

“One, two, three—oh!” said Mrs. Plum. She had lost her place again.

Orin did not mean to be loud. He was a large dragon with careful paws. But the bell was made for a small baker, and even his gentlest tap made it sing as though a parade were coming.

He tried touching it with one claw. DING! Three pigeons looked round.

He tried asking a mouse to ring it. The mouse swung on the rope and enjoyed himself so much that he forgot to stop.

“That was a lovely turn,” Orin said, lifting him down. “But I need a quieter idea.”

While he thought, Orin brushed flour from his apron. A little cloud settled on the windowsill. In it, the mouse drew a circle with his tail.

“It looks like a loaf,” said Orin.

He found a round piece of wood left over from a shelf. On one side he painted a loaf with three golden stripes. On the other side he painted a bowl of dough beneath a cloth. He hung it in the window on a loop of string.

The next afternoon, when the bread was ready, Orin turned the picture around. No bell rang. Mrs. Plum counted all seventeen seedlings.

On her way home she saw the golden loaf in the window. “Bread time,” she said, and went inside. The postman followed. Then came a family with an empty basket.

By evening, eleven loaves had gone. Orin took the last one to his little table behind the counter. The mouse brought two cups and a very small butter knife.

Orin turned the sign back to the bowl of dough. Tomorrow there would be more bread. Tonight there was just enough for supper, and the brass bell rested on a high shelf.

Keep the sound effects small

You can whisper the bell’s first ding instead of performing a loud one. Ask a child who wants to join in to turn an imaginary sign with you at the end.

If your child wants to invent the next day’s bread, save their suggestion for another telling. Today’s problem is finished when the sign works; the story does not need another bakery mishap.

Day2Tale is an optional way to turn a moment from your child’s day into a personalized narrated story. A parent sets it up and reviews the result before sharing it. The story above is an original editorial example, not a recording of app output.

Sources: Day2Tale support and product features