Carl the crocodile was invited to a sleepover! It was the first time he’d ever been invited to one, and he was very excited… and a little bit nervous. Carl wasn’t very good at being calm and quiet. He was, well, a *silly* crocodile. He loved to wiggle, jiggle, and make funny faces.
His friend Beatrice the beaver had promised a night of quiet games and stories. Carl practiced being still all day. He tried to sit like a statue, but he accidentally bumped into a tree. He tried to whisper, but it came out as a loud ROAR! “Oh dear,” he sighed. “I’ll never be good at a sleepover.”
When Carl arrived at Beatrice’s dam, everything smelled like fresh wood and yummy berries. Beatrice greeted him with a smile. “Welcome, Carl! I’m so glad you’re here!” Other animal friends were already there: Finley the fox and Penelope the penguin.
Beatrice started a quiet game of building with pebbles. Carl *tried* to be careful, but he got so excited he accidentally knocked over Finley’s tower with a happy wiggle. “Oops!” said Carl, feeling his cheeks turn pink. Finley giggled. “It’s okay, Carl! It was a wobbly tower anyway.”
Next, Beatrice read a story about a sleepy snail. Carl tried to listen quietly, but he kept making silly crocodile noises – little snaps and chomp sounds. Penelope the penguin started to giggle, then Finley, and soon Beatrice was laughing too!
“Carl,” Beatrice said kindly, “you’re very… enthusiastic!” Carl’s heart sank. He thought he was ruining everything. “I just can’t help it,” he mumbled. “I’m a silly crocodile.”
Beatrice smiled. “But that’s what makes you *you*, Carl! We like your silliness. It makes us laugh.” Finley and Penelope nodded. “Yeah! It’s much more fun with you being yourself!”
Carl’s face brightened. He realized his friends didn’t want him to be quiet and still. They wanted him to be Carl! He wiggled and jiggled and made funny faces, and everyone laughed along with him. They played silly games and told even sillier jokes.
Later, as they all snuggled into their sleeping bags, Carl felt warm and happy. He might be a silly crocodile, but he was a silly crocodile with wonderful friends who loved him just the way he was. He closed his eyes, a little wiggle escaping his tail, and drifted off to sleep.
And even in his sleep, Carl dreamed of silly adventures with his friends, proving that sometimes, the best thing you can be is yourself, even if you’re a little bit wobbly and wonderfully silly.