Leo the lion cub didn't *love* going to bed. It wasn't that he was scared, he just wished bedtime was a little more… exciting! One night, Mama Lion told Leo about a special bedtime quest. “If you complete three little tasks before snuggles,” she said, “you’ll earn sleepy star rewards!”
Leo’s first task was to tidy his toys. Oh dear! Toys were *much* more fun to play with than to put away. He sighed, but he remembered Mama Lion’s words: “A little bit of trying makes everything bright!” So, Leo carefully put his building blocks in their box, his stuffed animals on the shelf, and his little cars in a line. It took a while, but he did it!
“Wonderful!” Mama Lion cheered. “You earned your first sleepy star!” She stuck a sparkly star sticker on Leo’s paw. Leo felt proud. His second task was to brush his teeth *all* by himself. Sometimes, Leo missed spots, but tonight he was extra careful. He brushed up and down, and round and round, making sure every tooth was sparkly clean.
“Amazing brushing, Leo!” Mama Lion said. “Here’s your second sleepy star!” Leo’s paw was getting very sparkly. The last task was to pick out his favorite bedtime story. Leo loved stories about friendly animals and cozy caves. He chose a book about a little bear who learned to share.
As Mama Lion read, Leo snuggled close. He thought about how he had worked hard to complete his quest. He hadn’t given up, even when tidying toys was tricky. He felt warm and happy, and very, very sleepy.
“You did such a wonderful job with your quest, Leo,” Mama Lion whispered, kissing his forehead. “Your sleepy star rewards helped you have a peaceful bedtime.” Leo closed his eyes, feeling the sparkly stars on his paw. He knew that even though bedtime wasn’t always the most exciting thing, trying his best and earning a little reward made it special. And with that, Leo drifted off to sleep, dreaming of friendly bears and sparkly stars.