Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome back to Kohala Moon, a podcast of
Speaker 1: original children's bedtime stories and meditation designed to make bedtime
Speaker 1: a dream. We're giving a mighty wave and welcome shout
Speaker 1: out today to two new subscribers. That's read in Washington
Speaker 1: State who listens with his siblings, Jonah Nell and Skyler,
Speaker 1: and a little fan of the Teddy Bears Picnic Story.
Speaker 1: That's you, Presley. Thanks for saving up to subscribe and
Speaker 1: for being such warm hearted fans of the pod and
Speaker 1: our stories. As you've been listening a while, you'll know
Speaker 1: that we were once called Coco Sleep, but not anymore.
Speaker 1: Many of you, and I mean many of you, have
Speaker 1: been asking why on earth we changed our name from
Speaker 1: Coco Sleep to Kohala Moon. Well, tonight, as missed. If
Speaker 1: you snuggle up, I will tell you. It all started
Speaker 1: when Coco mentioned the Koala Moon to me. He said,
Speaker 1: as much as his bedtime stories helped all of you
Speaker 1: drift off to sleep, really it was the Koala Moon
Speaker 1: that did it, and so that should be the show's
Speaker 1: name instead. Actually, I asked him, what's the Koala moon?
Speaker 1: Is it any different to the regular moon? He said,
Speaker 1: sort of, but it's also the same, and then he
Speaker 1: told me this story, and tonight I'm going to tell
Speaker 1: it to you. So get comfy, scrunch up your face
Speaker 1: and then let it all. Relax, wiggle your fingers and toes,
Speaker 1: even your eyebrows, and then just relax and flop back
Speaker 1: into your mattress. Take a lovely deep breath in and
Speaker 1: whoo shit out and in again, head out again. And
Speaker 1: then when you're ready, I'm gonna begin. This is Cocoa
Speaker 1: and the Koala Moon by Susanna McGlaughlin. In the heart
Speaker 1: of sleepy forest stands a little wooden cabin. This little
Speaker 1: cabin has stood there for years, being bathed in sunshine,
Speaker 1: drummed by rain, and washed in the light of the moon.
Speaker 1: Within the cabin live a family of koalas and one
Speaker 1: little panda too. The littless koala is named Cocoa. For years,
Speaker 1: when the sun began to set, the little koala would
Speaker 1: yawn and rub his eyes with his paws, and everyone
Speaker 1: would know it was bedtime. Coco would be bathed in
Speaker 1: the bubbliest of baths. He would be given a mug
Speaker 1: of hot, frothy cocoa, and he'd be tucked up in
Speaker 1: wooly blankets and told a story. This story was sometimes
Speaker 1: told by his dad, sometimes by his mom, sometimes by Grandma,
Speaker 1: and sometimes by Auntie Shirley if she was stopping by
Speaker 1: in between one of her whirlwind adventures. The night that
Speaker 1: Coco learned about the Koala moon, it was told by
Speaker 1: his Grandpa. Coco was little then, not much more than
Speaker 1: the baby. His brown eyes were especially big and sparkled
Speaker 1: especially bright when he was sleepy. Granddad pulled up a
Speaker 1: chair to the side of Coco's bed and flopped down
Speaker 1: into it with a sigh, Taking off his glasses to
Speaker 1: polish them with his handkerchief, he leafed through the books
Speaker 1: in Coco's bookshelf and asked the little Koala what adventure
Speaker 1: he wanted to take that night. Would it be exploring
Speaker 1: the high seas with Atticus the Pirate, flying broomsticks with
Speaker 1: a magical pair of wizarding twins, or a simple walk
Speaker 1: in the park with a couple of friendly dogs. Coco
Speaker 1: yawned a little tired yawn once more, and blinked slowly.
Speaker 1: Something different, Please Granddad, he said, something new, And so
Speaker 1: Granddad looked around, racking his brains for something new. His
Speaker 1: gaze fell out the window and into the sky where
Speaker 1: the moon hung round and watchful, sending a gentle silver
Speaker 1: glow across sleepy forest to glint gently against Granddad's round
Speaker 1: framed glasses. Have you heard the one about the Koala moon,
Speaker 1: Granddad asked Coco. Coco shook his head, almost imperceptibly as
Speaker 1: he settled deeper into his pillow. Well, here's how it goes,
Speaker 1: Granddad said. Every night, as the world falls still, the
Speaker 1: sky pinkins and darkens up until the Koala moon begins
Speaker 1: to rise. It yawns and opens up his eyes. If
Speaker 1: you look very close at the moon above, you'll see
Speaker 1: someone looking back with love, with two big eyes and
Speaker 1: a gentle smile. It's the Koala on the moon, come
Speaker 1: to stay Awhile the Koala watches over sleepy heads as
Speaker 1: they're all tucked up warm in their cozy beds, She
Speaker 1: wraps the world in a gentle glow that says, calm down,
Speaker 1: it's time to be slow. It's time to let your
Speaker 1: worries float away, it's time to say good night to
Speaker 1: the day, drift into dreams and start to snow. As
Speaker 1: the Koala moon shines brighter than ever before. Granddad looked
Speaker 1: down at tiny baby Cocoa, ready to continue his story.
Speaker 1: A Cocoa was already fast asleep, snoring ever so gently
Speaker 1: and smiling softly. He looked up to the moon and
Speaker 1: wished it a good night. In the little Koala's dreams,
Speaker 1: the moon was beginning to rise. It was just like
Speaker 1: our moon, but a little different. It was the shape
Speaker 1: of three intertwining circles around face and two round ears.
Speaker 1: It was silver, just like ours, and it had craters
Speaker 1: on it, but its face was much clearer. There were
Speaker 1: two smiling eyes around velvety nose, and a soft pink
Speaker 1: smile beaming down at the world. The moon was just
Speaker 1: like ours, yes, but it was just a little more clearly.
Speaker 1: A Koala Coco sat up in his soft bed and
Speaker 1: rested his elbows on the window sill. He looked down
Speaker 1: at his paws and giggled at how the light from
Speaker 1: the Koala moon turned his fur extra silver and seemed
Speaker 1: to shimmer and sparkle as he moved his hands up
Speaker 1: and down. He gazed up at the moon, which seemed
Speaker 1: to float closer to Earth than ever before. Good even Ning,
Speaker 1: Koala Moon, He called, good evening, Coco. She called back,
Speaker 1: Cocoa gasped, realizing that the moon had heard him all
Speaker 1: the way from space. Can you hear me, he asked?
Speaker 1: The Koala Moon giggled, her laugh as melodic and light
Speaker 1: as the twinkles coming from the stars. Yes, Coco, she said,
Speaker 1: it's such a peaceful and beautifully still night that I
Speaker 1: can hear you perfectly. Coco grinned, Are there not still
Speaker 1: spaceships snipping about up there? And satellites bleeping and blooping
Speaker 1: and shooting stars squealing by? The Koala Moon paused to
Speaker 1: listen to the sounds of space, then shook her head. No,
Speaker 1: she said, it's utterly peaceful, completely beautifully quiet. Cocoa nodded.
Speaker 1: Apart from the usual soft trail of crickets and the
Speaker 1: gentle creeks and rustles of the old moonlit trees, Sleepy
Speaker 1: Forest was silent too. Can you see the hole of
Speaker 1: Sleepy Forest from up there? He asked? In fact, I
Speaker 1: bet you can see the whole world from up there,
Speaker 1: only the parts where my moonlight falls. The Koala Moon said,
Speaker 1: only the place is where it's nighttime. But yes, I
Speaker 1: can see a lot. I can see all of the
Speaker 1: sleepy little creatures tucked up in sleepy for I can
Speaker 1: see Fudge the sloth snoozing in a tree, and whiskers
Speaker 1: pebbles and pours, the little lotters floating down sleepy river
Speaker 1: on their backs. I can see lots of little cabins
Speaker 1: where little nightlights shine and little glow in the dark
Speaker 1: stars gleam on the ceilings. It really is peaceful, and
Speaker 1: that's thanks to me. That's my job, Coco. You see,
Speaker 1: I hang up here in the sky and shine across
Speaker 1: the world, making everybody sleepy. If I wasn't here, Munchie
Speaker 1: would still be riding around on his pizzamobile, Hector and
Speaker 1: Sunny would still be digging in the garden, and Disco
Speaker 1: would be out dancing. But when they see me, everybody
Speaker 1: begins to yawn. They know it's time to cut up,
Speaker 1: snuggle down, and begin to dream. Coco smiled, just like
Speaker 1: every night he asked, Just like every night from then on,
Speaker 1: every time Coco saw the silver shining moon, he'd send
Speaker 1: a sleepy smile to the koala he knew lived on
Speaker 1: its face, and sometimes when he needed it, he spoke
Speaker 1: to her again. It made him feel safe and loved
Speaker 1: to know she was always watching over him. One night,
Speaker 1: when Coco was older and had just gotten his pink ukulele.
Speaker 1: He slipped into another dream and once again looked up
Speaker 1: to the Koala Moon. He sat on a little wooden
Speaker 1: rowboat amongst golden fireflies and wrote a twinkling lullaby. The
Speaker 1: notes drifted all the way up on the soft, warm
Speaker 1: breeze to the Koala Moon. We thanked Cocoa for his song.
Speaker 1: You must get tired of having songs written about you.
Speaker 1: Coco chuckled, and the moon giggled, but said no, she'd
Speaker 1: never tire of hearing people sing about her. In another dream,
Speaker 1: an even older Cocoa took a trip in his Auntie
Speaker 1: Shirley's rocket and twirled and whirled around the Koala Moon,
Speaker 1: making her laugh as he did loop the loops and
Speaker 1: floated mid air in his spacesuit. One night in the
Speaker 1: run up to his first day at cucobarra Kindy, her
Speaker 1: little tiny Cocoa tossed and turned until he fell into
Speaker 1: a dream where the Koala Moon was in the sky,
Speaker 1: hanging her washing amongst the stars. Excuse me, he called
Speaker 1: to the Koala Moon. She smiled down at him, never
Speaker 1: too busy to make time for her little Koala friend,
Speaker 1: I don't think I'll be able to sleep very soundly
Speaker 1: to night, he said. I'm going to cukobar a kindy tomorrow,
Speaker 1: and I'm a little bit scared. What if no one
Speaker 1: likes me? What if I'm not smart enough or artie enough,
Speaker 1: or not good enough at sports? The Koala moon shushed
Speaker 1: Cocoa with a smile. It's okay to be nervous, Cocoa,
Speaker 1: she frowned. When I come out at night, I try
Speaker 1: to bring peace and quiet and sleepiness, but some people
Speaker 1: say nighttime can also bring a little worry. Some people
Speaker 1: find that without the business of the day, their heads
Speaker 1: can get a little busy and full, and they start
Speaker 1: thinking about what might happen tomorrow. But Cocoa, everything is
Speaker 1: going to be okay. If you ever feel unsure, I
Speaker 1: want you to look at me and remember that you're
Speaker 1: a smart Koala, you're a brave Koala, and you're going
Speaker 1: to do your best. And if things go wrong, I'll
Speaker 1: see you tomorrow night and we can just giggle about it. Then, okay.
Speaker 1: Coco nodded okay. Every time he looked up at the
Speaker 1: moon from then on, he imagined her telling him those
Speaker 1: things he would even repeat them to himself. He would say,
Speaker 1: I'm a smart Koala, I'm a brave Koala, and I'm
Speaker 1: going to do my best. Everything is going to be okay,
Speaker 1: And everything was okay. The night after Coco started kokabar
Speaker 1: a Kindi, he looked up at the Koala Moon from
Speaker 1: a dream drifting amongst marshmallow clouds, and laughed. He told
Speaker 1: her he'd met a little hedgehog called Prickles and a
Speaker 1: little comeleon called Camo, who he thought he'd be friends
Speaker 1: with forever. He told her that they sang songs and
Speaker 1: played games and made up stories. He told her about
Speaker 1: how he got fingerpaint all over his fur and everybody
Speaker 1: thought he looked funny. The Koala Moon grinned and said
Speaker 1: she'd have found that funny too. The night that Coco's
Speaker 1: new adopted sister, Kira arrived at his house, Coco looked
Speaker 1: at the moon again. He had a very important question
Speaker 1: to ask her. When he drifted off and found himself
Speaker 1: floating on a liloh in a swimming pool made of
Speaker 1: hot cocoa, he looked up, and once again, the Koala
Speaker 1: Moon was up there, humming to herself and knitting a scarf.
Speaker 1: From the smudgy trails of the Milky Way. Kuhala Moon,
Speaker 1: he asked, and she looked down at him over her
Speaker 1: soft nose. Oh hey, Coco, she said, what's up? I
Speaker 1: was just wondering, Coco asked, taking a sip of the
Speaker 1: mug of hot chocolate he was holding in his pawl.
Speaker 1: You're the Koala Moon, right, so you watch over me.
Speaker 1: But I have a new sister now, and she's a panda.
Speaker 1: Will you look over her too, The Koala Moon laughed, Yes, Cocoa,
Speaker 1: I will look over Kira. I look over anybody who
Speaker 1: needs me, she said. In fact, she's just drifting off
Speaker 1: now here she comes. Coco heard a oui and saw
Speaker 1: his sister riding down the curling water slide to land
Speaker 1: in the hot chocolate pool. This is the best dream ever,
Speaker 1: she called, waving to Coco as she paddled in the
Speaker 1: warm chocolate. Sometimes Coco would see the moon in the daytime.
Speaker 1: You know, when the sky is a gentle blue and
Speaker 1: the sun is behind a cloud, and you look up
Speaker 1: to see a little sliver of moon and wonder what
Speaker 1: she's doing up. Coco knew what she was doing up.
Speaker 1: The Koala Moon was just popping by to check everyone
Speaker 1: was doing okay. Sometimes he'd see her on an afternoon
Speaker 1: when something wasn't going so well, when he was finding
Speaker 1: class hard, or when he couldn't win a game, or
Speaker 1: when he'd just woken up wrong and everything making him grumpy.
Speaker 1: He'd glimpse the Koala Moon and know that she was
Speaker 1: trying to tell him that everything would be fine. He'd
Speaker 1: then look at himself in the mirror and say, I'm
Speaker 1: a smart Koala, I'm a brave Koala, and I'm going
Speaker 1: to do my best. Everything is going to be okay,
Speaker 1: And it always was. He asked his granddad once whether
Speaker 1: he ever spoke to the Koala moon, and he said yes.
Speaker 1: He said he even sang to her sometimes. He said
Speaker 1: he'd looked up at the Koala moon the day he
Speaker 1: graduated Koala College and known he was on the right path.
Speaker 1: He said he'd ask Grandma if she'd marry him under
Speaker 1: the Koala moon, and he swore he heard the moon
Speaker 1: cheer when she said yes. He even said that the
Speaker 1: day Coco was born, the Koala moon was full and
Speaker 1: bright in the sky above the hospital. One night, after
Speaker 1: Coco and his friends had spent the evening at the
Speaker 1: Sleepy Forest Circus. They were sitting on the front porch
Speaker 1: of the Koala's cabin, wrapped in blankets and sipping hot cocoa.
Speaker 1: Coco looked up at the moon and waved. Do you
Speaker 1: see the face on the moon? He asked his friends.
Speaker 1: They squinted up at the shining orb in the sky
Speaker 1: and all murmured and nodded and hummed in agreement. Do
Speaker 1: you know that face belongs to a Koala? Coco said,
Speaker 1: it's the Koala moon. She's always watching over us and
Speaker 1: making sure we're okay. His sister Kira wrinkled her little
Speaker 1: panderose and asked if he was sure it was a
Speaker 1: Koala moon. She thought it was a panda. Prickles the
Speaker 1: hedgehog giggled. He said he'd always known that as the
Speaker 1: hedgehog on the moon. Didn't they see its snuffly little
Speaker 1: pointed nose. Camo grinned and said he thought the face
Speaker 1: on the moon was a comeleon. He pointed to a
Speaker 1: constellation of twirling stars. Those there make up his tail
Speaker 1: from his rocking chair. Coco's granddad chuckled. Human's even called
Speaker 1: it the man on the moon, he said, but whoever's right,
Speaker 1: everyone has one thing in common. The moon moon is
Speaker 1: always there, watching over us and letting us know that
Speaker 1: it's time to go to bed, and we know that
Speaker 1: we can yawn and cuddle and drift off to dreamland,
Speaker 1: safe and loved as long as the moon is up above.
Speaker 1: Coco asks Granddad if he could tell them the story again,
Speaker 1: just like he told Coco all those years ago. Granddad
Speaker 1: nodded and began. Every night, as the world falls still,
Speaker 1: the sky pinkins and darkens up until the Koala moon
Speaker 1: begins to rise. It yawns and opens up its eyes.
Speaker 1: If you look very close at the moon above, you'll
Speaker 1: see someone looking back with love, with two big eyes
Speaker 1: and a gentle smile. It's the Koala on the moon.
Speaker 1: Come to stay Awhile the Koala watches over sleepy little
Speaker 1: heads as they're tucked up warm in their little beds.
Speaker 1: She wraps the world in a gentle glow that says,
Speaker 1: calm down, it's time to be slow. It's time to
Speaker 1: let your worries float away. It's time to say good
Speaker 1: night to the day, drift into dreams and start to snow.
Speaker 1: As the Koala moon shines brighter than ever before. Up
Speaker 1: on her surface, glowing like pearl, there are little creatures
Speaker 1: beginning to stir all the way up in twinkling space.
Speaker 1: Little koalas run across the Moon's face. Little fuzzy creatures,
Speaker 1: all silver and small, live in her craters, playing chase
Speaker 1: and moon ball. Whilst the earth cooals are tucked up tight,
Speaker 1: the moon cooalless play all through the night. The Cooala
Speaker 1: Moon smiles as she watches over us, all every human
Speaker 1: and creature, whether big or small, from the koalas in
Speaker 1: space to the ones on the Earth, all the children
Speaker 1: in bed, from London to Purse. She rolls around the
Speaker 1: stars and sings from the sky, making friends with comets
Speaker 1: as they rush by. She chats to the Sun and
Speaker 1: says hi to rockets, handing out candy she keeps in
Speaker 1: her pockets. She sends out her love into the hole
Speaker 1: of space, with a gentle smile on her Koala face.
Speaker 1: If you listen carefully when it comes to bedtime, she'll
Speaker 1: read you a story, a poem or rhyme. She'll send
Speaker 1: you to places far far away. It's stories that lead
Speaker 1: you to dreams. Then today, if she's not there in
Speaker 1: the morning, don't you worry. When the sun goes down,
Speaker 1: she'll be back in a hurry. For now, she'll be
Speaker 1: sleeping in her own starry bed, knowing that you are
Speaker 1: watching out for her instead. When he finished his story,
Speaker 1: he smiled to see Cocoa, Kira, Prickles and Cameo, all
Speaker 1: snoozing where they sat. He looked up at the Koala
Speaker 1: Moon and winked. You've worked your magic again, he said,
Speaker 1: and the Koala Moon winked by. So that's the story
Speaker 1: of why Coco Sleep became Koala Moon. Because Coco thought
Speaker 1: we should all know about the Koala Moon because she
Speaker 1: helps him sleep easy every single night, and she might
Speaker 1: help you too. The Koala Moon is out there right now,
Speaker 1: shining on the world and bathing it in calm, And
Speaker 1: you feel her, her twinkly eyes shining in the sky,
Speaker 1: her big velvety nose and little peaceful smile, letting you
Speaker 1: know that you are loved and safe and sleepy. Every
Speaker 1: time you look at the moon, give her a wave
Speaker 1: and remind yourself, I am safe, I am loved, I
Speaker 1: am sleepy under the Koala moony. Way to er young