Bonk!

Read-aloud note

Read slowly, soften your voice near the end, and leave a small pause before the final goodnight line.

Story

Mia and her little brother Theo were always bumping heads. Not on purpose. It just happened that way.

They bumped heads looking under the couch for a missing sock. Bonk! They bumped heads sniffing the same strawberry at the market. Bonk! They even bumped heads trying to peek at a ladybug on the garden wall at the very same time. Bonk! Every single bonk made a tiny little sound, and every single time, they both sat back and looked at each other with very round eyes.

One morning, Mama was making pancakes, and Mia and Theo both leaned over the bowl to see the bubbles pop. You already know what happened. Bonk! But this time, something was different. Mia felt a little tingle. Right on the top of her head, where the bump had been. And when she looked at Theo, he was giggling. His eyes had gone a tiny bit sparkly. Mia touched her own hair, very carefully. There was something there. Something small and warm and glowing, sitting right on top of her head like a soft little hat made of light. She looked at Theo. He had one too. Two tiny glowing bumps, one for each of them, shining like two friendly nightlights in the morning kitchen.

Mama turned around and laughed the kind of laugh that is quiet and surprised all at once. She said the same thing every time after that, whenever she saw them leaning close together. She said, "Oh no, are you going to bonk again?" And Mia and Theo would look at each other, and they would lean in, very slowly, until, bonk, the softest little bonk, and there they would be, sitting on the kitchen floor or the garden grass or the bath mat, both of them glowing, both of them giggling, both of them exactly the same kind of silly.

That was their favorite thing. Not the tingle, not the glow, not even the giggling. The favorite thing was the moment just before the bonk, when they were both leaning in at the same time, and they both knew what was coming, and everything felt warm and close and exactly right. That moment, said Mia, was the very best moment in the whole entire house.

Scenes

Bonk, Bonk, Bonk!

Mia and her little brother Theo were always bumping heads. They bumped heads looking under the couch for a missing sock. They bumped heads sniffing the same strawberry at the market. They even bumped heads peeking at a ladybug on the garden wall. Every single bonk made a tiny little sound, and every single time, they both sat back and looked at each other with very round eyes.

The Pancake Bonk

One morning, Mama was making pancakes, and Mia and Theo both leaned over the bowl to see the bubbles pop. You already know what happened. Bonk! But this time, something was different. Mia felt a little tingle, right on the top of her head, where the bump had been. And when she looked at Theo, he was giggling. His eyes had gone a tiny bit sparkly.

Two Little Lights

Mia touched her own hair, very carefully. There was something there. Something small and warm and glowing, sitting right on top of her head like a soft little hat made of light. She looked at Theo. He had one too. Two tiny glowing bumps, one for each of them, shining like two friendly nightlights in the morning kitchen.

Oh No, Are You Going to Bonk Again?

Mama turned around and laughed the kind of laugh that is quiet and surprised all at once. After that, whenever she saw them leaning close together, she would say, "Oh no, are you going to bonk again?" And Mia and Theo would look at each other and lean in, very slowly, until—bonk—the softest little bonk, and there they would be, both of them glowing, both of them giggling, both of them exactly the same kind of silly.

The Very Best Moment

The favorite thing was the moment just before the bonk, when they were both leaning in at the same time, and they both knew what was coming, and everything felt warm and close and exactly right. That moment, said Mia, was the very best moment in the whole entire house.