Reading time: about 3 minutes · Best for ages 2 to 6
This elephant bedtime story is about Bella, a baby elephant who can’t trumpet yet. It’s reassuring for little ones who are still learning to do things the big kids can do.
Bella the Baby Elephant Finds Her Trumpet: Read the Story
Bella was a baby elephant with big floppy ears and a short little trunk. All the grown-up elephants could trumpet. They lifted their trunks high and went “TOOT-TOOOO!” so loudly that the birds flew out of the trees.
Bella tried and tried. She lifted her trunk and blew. “Pfft,” it went. Just a tiny puff of air.
“Don’t worry,” said her mother. “Your trumpet will come when it’s ready.”
One evening, the herd was walking home through the tall grass. Bella stopped to look at a butterfly, and when she looked up, the herd was gone. The grass was taller than her head. She couldn’t see anyone.
“Mama?” she called in a small voice. Nobody answered.
Bella felt scared. She lifted her trunk, took the biggest breath she had ever taken, and blew as hard as she could.
“TOOOOT!”
It was loud. It was very loud. Far away, she heard a reply. “TOOT-TOOOO!” Then the grass parted and there was Mama, running toward her with her ears flapping.
“You found your trumpet!” said Mama, wrapping her trunk around Bella.
That night, Bella fell asleep pressed against her mother’s warm side, and every now and then she let out a tiny, happy “toot” in her dreams.
The Moral of the Story
Everyone learns at their own pace. Your voice will come when you need it.
Questions to Ask After the Story
- What couldn’t Bella do at the start?
- How did Bella find her mama?
- What is something you are still learning to do?
