The Day the Sea Sang a Wobbly Song

Read-aloud note

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

Story

At bedtime, a tiny tap made everyone wonder. Near a shimmering blue sea, three very big friends started every morning the same way. Bubbles the blue whale would splash up from the water. Rex the friendly dinosaur would stomp out from the ferns. And Stompy the gentle elephant would lumber down from the soft green hill. Then all three would look at the sea and listen. Because every morning, the sea sang them a little song. It always sounded like this: whoooosh, shimmer, shimmer, whoooosh.

But one morning, something was different. The song came out wobbly. Whoooosh, shimmer, BONK, whoooosh. Bubbles tilted her big head. Rex tilted his big head. Stompy tilted her big head. "Did you hear that?" said Rex. "A bonk!" said Stompy. "Right in the middle of the song!" said Bubbles. They looked at the sea. The water was still blue and shimmery. But there it was again. Whoooosh, shimmer, BONK, whoooosh.

The path crossed the blue chair, the moonlit rug, and a little basket by the window.

Bubbles dove down under the water to look. She found two round, smooth, purple stones sitting right where the song was supposed to flow. They did not belong there at all! She nudged them gently with her nose. They were too heavy to move alone. So Bubbles called up to her friends. Rex waded in up to his knees and scooped one stone up in his big green arms. Stompy reached in with her trunk and lifted the other one out. They carried both stones up to the shore and set them down side by side in the warm sand. The stones were so perfectly round and so perfectly purple that all three friends said "Oooooh" at the exact same time.

And then the sea tried its song again. Whoooosh, shimmer, shimmer, whoooosh. There was the song, smooth and bright and just right, curling around their toes and fins and big grey feet. Bubbles splashed a happy splash. Rex gave a cheerful little roar. Stompy swung her trunk and hummed along. Every morning after that the three big friends would come down to the shore listen to the song together, and look at the two purple stones sitting side by side in the sand. Whoooosh, shimmer, shimmer, whoooosh. The sea sang, and they smiled, because that was exactly how mornings were supposed to be. At last, everything felt warm and close. Softly, softly, home we go. The star was back where it belonged.

Scenes

Three Friends by the Singing Sea

Near a shimmering blue sea, three very big friends began every morning the same way. Bubbles the blue whale splashed up from the water, Rex the friendly dinosaur stomped out from the ferns, and Stompy the gentle elephant lumbered down from the soft green hill. Together they listened as the sea sang: whoooosh, shimmer, shimmer, whoooosh.

A Wobbly Little Bonk

But one morning the song came out wobbly. Whoooosh, shimmer, BONK, whoooosh. Bubbles tilted her big head. Rex tilted his big head. Stompy tilted her big head. "Did you hear that?" said Rex. "A bonk!" said Stompy. "Right in the middle of the song!" said Bubbles.

Two Purple Stones Underwater

Bubbles dove down to look. There, right where the song was supposed to flow, sat two round, smooth, purple stones. They did not belong there at all! She nudged them gently with her nose, but they were too heavy to move alone.

Lifting the Stones Together

Bubbles called up to her friends. Rex waded in and scooped one stone in his big green arms. Stompy reached in with her trunk and lifted the other. Together they carried the stones to the warm sand and set them down side by side. "Oooooh," said all three at once.

The Song, Just Right

Then the sea tried its song again. Whoooosh, shimmer, shimmer, whoooosh. Smooth and bright and just right, it curled around their toes and fins and big grey feet. Every morning after, the three big friends came down to listen, with the two purple stones sitting side by side in the sand. That was exactly how mornings were supposed to be.