Example stories · Dinosaurs · Ages 2 to 4

Dax and the Sleepy Swamp

A read-aloud bedtime story, about 2 minutes.

Once there was a little dinosaur named Dax. Dax had a long, long neck and soft green skin. Dax lived by a warm, quiet swamp with Mama Dinosaur. All day long, Dax splashed in the shallow water, munched on soft green leaves, and played hide and seek behind the big grey rocks. But when the sky turned pink and orange, it was time to slow down.

Mama Dinosaur lifted her big head and called across the water. "Dax," she said, "the sun is going to sleep. It is time for you to go to sleep too." Dax took one last splash. Then Dax took one last munch. Then Dax walked slowly, slowly toward Mama.

On his way, Dax passed his friend Tilly the Triceratops, tucked into her own nest of leaves. "Goodnight, Dax," yawned Tilly. "Goodnight, Tilly," yawned Dax. They both smiled sleepy smiles and waved sleepy waves.

On the way home, Dax saw the little fireflies. The fireflies were sleepy too, blinking their lights slower and slower. Dax saw the pond frogs. The pond frogs were sleepy too, humming their songs softer and softer. Dax saw the round grey rocks. The rocks were sleepy too, cool and still and silent. Dax saw the tall soft ferns. The ferns were sleepy too, bowing their leaves lower and lower.

Dax and Mama walked up the mossy hill to their cozy nest. The nest was round and warm, lined with soft leaves. Dax climbed in and curled his long neck around, just like a sleepy snail curls into its shell.

Mama Dinosaur tucked the leaves around Dax. She hummed a low, rumbly song, the kind that dinosaur mamas have hummed since the beginning of time. Hmmmm, hmmmm, hmmmm, went the song, soft as the wind through the ferns.

Dax's eyes grew heavy. His long neck grew still. Outside the nest, the swamp grew quiet, quiet, quiet. The stars came out one by one, like sleepy little lanterns in the sky.

"Goodnight, Dax," whispered Mama. "Goodnight, Mama," whispered Dax, so quietly it was almost no sound at all. And under the soft dark sky, by the warm quiet swamp, Dax drifted off to sleep.