Cocoa was a little chocolate bunny, and she loved bedtime! But Cocoa had a secret: she *really* loved chocolate stars. Every night, her mama gave her a small box of sparkly chocolate stars to enjoy before sleep. Tonight, Cocoa had a whole ten!
As Cocoa was admiring her stars, she heard a tiny sniffle. It was Barnaby Bear, her best friend. Barnaby looked very sad. “What’s wrong, Barnaby?” Cocoa asked.
Barnaby wiped his eyes. “I… I didn’t get any special treats tonight,” he mumbled. “My mama said we were all out of honey drops.” Cocoa looked at her ten chocolate stars. Ten was a *lot* of stars. She usually only ate three or four.
Cocoa thought for a moment. Sharing her chocolate stars felt a little scary. What if she didn’t have enough for herself? But then she remembered how happy Barnaby always made her feel when they played together. A warm feeling spread through her chocolatey heart.
“Barnaby,” Cocoa said, “I have ten chocolate stars! Would you like to share them with me?” Barnaby’s face lit up. “Really, Cocoa? You would do that?”
Cocoa carefully divided the stars. She gave five to Barnaby and kept five for herself. They sat side-by-side, munching on the sparkly treats. The chocolate stars tasted even sweeter when shared with a friend!
“These are the best chocolate stars ever!” Barnaby exclaimed. Cocoa giggled. “They are, aren’t they?” She felt so happy she had made Barnaby smile.
As they finished their stars, Cocoa and Barnaby felt sleepy and cozy. Cocoa’s mama tucked them both into bed. “Sharing is a wonderful thing, Cocoa,” she whispered. “It makes everyone feel good.”
Cocoa snuggled into her pillow, feeling grateful for her mama, for Barnaby, and for the sweet joy of sharing. She closed her eyes, dreaming of sparkly chocolate stars and happy bear hugs. And she knew, even without ten stars, bedtime was perfect.