Ronnie the rhino wriggled in his bed. The moon was high, the stars were twinkling, but Ronnie just couldn't fall asleep. He tossed and turned, his little horn bumping against his pillow. "I'm just not sleepy!" he huffed.
Mama Rhino came in, her eyes soft and gentle. "What's wrong, little one?" she asked. Ronnie explained that he wasn't tired at all. Mama Rhino smiled. "Sometimes, when we can't sleep, it helps to have a bedtime routine," she said.
First, Mama Rhino helped Ronnie tidy up his toys. They put the building blocks back in their box, and the stuffed giraffe back on the shelf. Then, Mama Rhino gave Ronnie a warm bath. He splashed and played with his rubber ducky until the water started to cool.
After his bath, Mama Rhino tucked Ronnie into bed and read him a story about a friendly elephant. Ronnie snuggled close to his mama, listening to her soothing voice. When the story was over, Mama Rhino kissed Ronnie goodnight.
But Ronnie still wasn't asleep! "I'm still not tired!" he whispered. Mama Rhino smiled again. "Okay," she said, "let's try counting sheep." She pointed to the ceiling. "Imagine fluffy white sheep jumping over a fence. One fluffy sheep... two fluffy sheep..."
Ronnie closed his eyes and started counting. One fluffy sheep jumped. Two fluffy sheep jumped. Three fluffy sheep… The sheep were so fluffy and the fence was so low, that counting them was very relaxing. Before Ronnie knew it, he was drifting off to sleep.
He dreamed of fluffy sheep jumping over a low fence, their wool soft and white. He dreamed of his mama's warm hug and her soothing voice. And he dreamed of waking up in the morning, feeling refreshed and ready to play. From that night on, Ronnie always followed his bedtime routine, and counting sheep became his favorite way to fall asleep.