Dragon bedtime story: Bo and the warm breath

Ages 3 to 7 · 4 min read aloud

Bo, the Dragon with the Warm Breath

On a green hill stood an old castle. Behind the castle, in a cave lined with soft moss, lived a little dragon called Bo. Bo had blue scales, small wings and a tail that curled at the very tip.

Most dragons in books breathe fire. Not Bo. When Bo blew, warm air came out of his nose, sprinkled with a few glittering sparks. It wasn’t hot and it didn’t burn. It was just warm enough. That was Bo’s superpower.

One chilly evening, Bo heard someone shivering. It was the castle cook. She was standing in the kitchen beside a stove that had gone out. "Brr," said the cook. "The wood is damp. How will I keep the soup warm now?"

Bo poked his head gently through the kitchen window. "May I help?" he asked. He breathed a long, soft sigh under the soup pot. The sparks danced. Soon the soup began to bubble. The cook laughed. "Thank you, Bo. You’re the best stove in the whole land."

Next, Bo wandered into the courtyard. The washing hung on a long line: shirts, socks and a big blue blanket. Everything was still wet from the rain. Bo blew to and fro, to and fro. The socks flapped. In a few moments everything was dry and smelled of sunshine.

By the pond, three ducklings huddled close together. They were cold. Bo sat down beside them and breathed a warm little cloud over the water. "Quack," said the ducklings happily. They tucked their heads under their wings and closed their eyes.

At the top of the tower sat the old watchman. His hands were cold. Bo flew once around the tower and breathed softly on the window. The glass grew warm. The watchman pressed his hands against it and sighed contentedly.

Now everyone was warm. The cook, the ducklings and the watchman. Even the washing was nice and dry. Bo felt happy. But he also felt tired. Very, very tired.

Slowly he walked back to his cave. His feet made soft sounds on the grass. Plod, plod, plod. Above the hill, the stars came out one by one.

In the cave lay his favourite stone, big and flat. Bo breathed over it one last time. Now the stone was lovely and warm, like a hot water bottle in bed.

Bo turned round three times and lay down. He wrapped his tail around himself like a blanket. He folded his wings. His eyes grew smaller and smaller.

Outside, all was quiet. In the kitchen, the soup gently steamed. In the castle, everyone slept. And in the cave, a little dragon breathed slowly in and out. In and out. Goodnight, Bo. And goodnight to you, too.