Yawnkin and the Great Big Yawn

Yawnkin is a little fuzzy monster with two tiny horns, four little teeth, and one great big yawn.

Every morning, he opens one sleepy eye, stretches his soft fuzzy arms, and feels a yawn growing deep inside his tummy. HAAA! Out it comes, round and warm like a little cloud.

At breakfast, Yawnkin tries to eat his porridge very carefully. But another yawn tiptoes up his throat. HAAA! The spoon wiggles, the porridge wobbles, and splat! A tiny blob lands right on his head.

Outside in the yard, Yawnkin looks at the flowers and the sleepy trees. Then he yawns again. HAAA! The leaves lift into the air and swirl all around him like soft green confetti.

And yawns are catching. The cat blinks and yawns, meow-haaa. The dog stretches and yawns, woof-haaa. Even the little bird fluffs her feathers and yawns, tweet-haaa.

Yawnkin takes the biggest breath he has ever taken. His cheeks puff out, his horns wiggle, and then comes the biggest yawn in the garden. HAAAAAAA! It rolls gently over the grass. “Hee hee,” giggles Yawnkin. “That was a big one.”

Soon the sky turns blue and dusky. It is bedtime, but nobody feels sleepy yet. The cat wiggles, the dog giggles, and the bird hops, hop, hop. Everyone is too silly to settle down.

So Yawnkin tries one more yawn. This one is not big and bouncy. This one is slow. This one is soft. This one is warm. Haaaa… The quiet yawn drifts through the garden like a blanket.

The cat curls her tail and closes her eyes. Haaa… The dog rests his head on his paws. Haa… The bird tucks her beak beneath her wing. Ha… The giggles fade into sleepy little sighs.

And Yawnkin? Mm. Yawnkin curls into a cozy little ball. The moon peeks through the clouds, the garden grows still, and his great big yawn becomes a tiny goodnight whisper. Shhh… shhh… Goodnight, Yawnkin.