The Sleepiest T-Rex
In a green valley long, long ago lived a young T-rex named Rumble, and Rumble had the biggest roar of any dinosaur around.
ROAR! went Rumble in the morning, and the leaves shook.
ROAR! went Rumble at lunchtime, and the little dinosaurs giggled and scattered.
But when the sun went down and the valley turned gold, Rumble’s mama said, “Time for quiet now, little one. Even the biggest roars go to sleep.”
“Not MY roar,” said Rumble. “My roar is never sleepy!”
He opened his mouth to prove it. ROA— but something funny happened. Right in the middle of his roar, a great big yawn snuck in. ROA-a-a-awwwwn.
Rumble blinked. “That wasn’t a roar,” he mumbled.
“Try again,” smiled his mama.
Rumble tried again. Ro-a-awwwwn. Even bigger this time! His eyes got watery and soft. His mighty tail drooped in the ferns.
All around the valley, the other dinosaurs heard it. And you know what? Yawns are catching — even dinosaur yawns. The triceratops yawned. The long-necks yawned, one head after another, all the way up. Even the tiny dinosaurs, no bigger than chickens, yawned tiny chicken-sized yawns.
Soon the whole valley was one big, cozy, yawning chorus, settling down into the warm ferns for the night.
Rumble curled up next to his mama, his tail tucked round his nose.
“See?” she whispered. “The mightiest sound in the valley isn’t a roar at all. It’s the sleepy sound of everyone resting.”
Ro-awwwn, agreed Rumble, very softly. And the sleepiest T-rex closed his eyes and slept, while the stars came out over the quiet green valley.
The end. 🦖
Talk about it together
- Can you roar a tiny, sleepy roar like Rumble?
- What is the biggest yawn you can do?
- What helps you feel quiet and calm at bedtime?