A bedtime story, in small pictures

A calm owl watching from the dark, its eyes softly glowing.

The Careful Owl

A very short story for very small people.

  1. The owl sitting still with calm, closed eyes.

    This is the owl.
    The owl is very calm.

  2. A castle made of cloud, floating high above the world.

    High above the world, big companies keep their treasures in a castle made of cloud.

  3. The cloud castle built in a hurry, with crooked walls and an open red door.

    Sometimes the castle is built in a hurry.
    A crooked wall here. A door left open there.

  4. The owl flying close to the castle, watching it with a steady gaze.

    So the owl flies close, and looks.
    It sees every crooked wall. It never blinks.

  5. The owl's tidy little list, marking what is safe and what to fix first.

    The owl does not shout.
    It makes a little list.
    “This is safe. This is not. Fix this one first.”

  6. Thirty-two tiny helper owls, checking many things at once.

    The owl has thirty-two tiny helpers.
    Together they check more than eight hundred things before you wake.

  7. The mended castle standing straight and strong, softly glowing.

    Then the builders mend the walls.
    The castle stands straight and strong.

  8. The owl on a branch beneath the moon, keeping watch through the night.

    And the owl?
    The owl keeps watching.
    So nothing can ever surprise you.
    Goodnight.