bedtime · Ages 6-8

The Dandelion Clock That Could Not Tell Bedtime

A dandelion counts seeds instead of hours, then lets the evening breeze carry every number away.

The whole story

1. Late one afternoon, Mina knelt in the garden and asked the dandelion, “Can you tell me when it is bedtime?”

2. The dandelion lifted its white globe. “I can count,” it said. “I just do not count hours.”

3. Mina pointed to the bright sky. “When you reach evening, I will know it is bedtime.” The dandelion counted its first seed.

4. It counted one seed, then another, then another. Mina waited for an hour to pass, but the dandelion only knew the numbers of seeds.

5. The sky turned peach, and Mina’s shadow stretched across the path. The dandelion was still counting seeds.

6. Mina rubbed her eyes and sat down in the grass. “You are at forty-seven,” she whispered. “That is not very helpful for bedtime.”

7. Mina watched the first star appear and knew it was time to go home. The dandelion counted seeds instead of hours, then let the evening breeze carry every number away.

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