Maya and the Dinosaur Who Couldn't Sleep

After a long, sunny day at the park, Maya was almost ready for bed. She had soft pajamas on and a big yawn hiding behind her teeth.

But when she pulled back her blanket, she found a little dinosaur curled up on her pillow. He was green and round, with tiny wings that couldn't quite fly and eyes as wide as two full moons.

“I can't sleep,” said the little dinosaur. “I ran and I stomped and I roared all day, and now my heart is still going boom-boom-boom.”

“I know exactly how that feels,” said Maya. “Some days are so big it's hard to make them stop. But I have a secret. Would you like to learn how I get ready for bed?”

The little dinosaur nodded so fast his ears flapped.

“First,” said Maya, “we take three slow breaths, like we're smelling a warm cookie.” In went the breath, slow. Out went the breath, slower. The little dinosaur's boom-boom-boom began to soften.

“Next,” said Maya, “we think of one good thing from today.” The dinosaur thought hard. “I found a puddle,” he whispered, “and it splashed all the way up to my knees.” Maya smiled. “That's a very good thing.”

“And last,” said Maya, “we let our whole body go floppy, like a noodle in warm soup.” She flopped her arms. She flopped her legs. The little dinosaur flopped his stubby tail, and a great big yawn came rolling out of him.

Maya pulled the blanket over them both. Outside her window, the moon leaned close to listen.

“Tonight's adventure was real,” the moon whispered, “and it was all yours.”

The little dinosaur was already asleep, breathing slow and warm. And in a moment, so was Maya.

Read aloud in a warm, calm voice in the Day2Tale app — with a built-in sleep timer.