bedtime · Ages 6-8

The Owl Who Was Afraid of Missing Sunrise

A young owl tries to stay awake for sunrise, then trusts that morning will arrive even if he sleeps through its first light.

The whole story

1. Before dawn, a young owl climbed to the highest oak branch. He wanted to see the sun rise. He opened his tiny brass watch and waited.

2. The stars began to fade. The young owl stretched his wings wide. He blinked once, then twice, and promised not to blink again.

3. The branch felt colder. The young owl held a pine cone to his chest. A drop of dew landed on his beak, but his eyelids still grew heavy.

4. His mother found him nodding beside the watch. She touched his shoulder gently. “You can sleep,” she said. “Morning will still come.”

5. “But what if sunrise comes only once?” he asked. His mother folded her plum-purple shawl around him. “Morning has been coming for a very long time,” she said.

6. The young owl promised to rest for one minute. His mother tucked the blanket under his chin. Outside, the sky turned peach.

7. When he opened his eyes, golden light filled the nest. He had missed the first bright edge of the sun. The young owl sat very still.

8. Then he looked up. The sun had begun without him, and it had not gone away. Tomorrow, he could sleep and trust morning to come.

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