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🌙 Short bedtime story · free

The Little Tree on Pigúiça's Plate

⏱️ 3 min read💛 Trying new food
The Little Tree on Pigúiça's Plate

There was something green on Pigúiça's plate.

She tilted her head to one side. Then she tilted it to the other. The green thing was still there, sitting quietly next to her soup. It looked like a little tree, trunk and all.

“What's that?” she asked suspiciously.

“Broccoli,” said Fofuxo from across the table. “Picked from the garden today.”

“I don't like it,” said Pigúiça, pushing her plate away with her nose. “It's too green. And it looks like it would tickle my throat.”

“Have you ever tried it?” asked Fofuxo. And Pigúiça answered, very firmly, “No. But I don't like it.”

Fofuxo didn't push. He just picked up a piece of broccoli from his own plate and studied it very seriously, like a scientist with glasses. “You know what I think? I think this is a tree from an ant forest. Look how big the top is. You could fit a whole ant house up here.”

Pigúiça took a closer look. It was true. It really did look like a teeny tiny forest, with little branches and little leaves and everything.

At the end of the table, Tico the dachshund picked up a whole piece of broccoli and chewed it. Crunch, crunch, crunch. “It makes noise!” he said with his mouth full. “It sounds like I'm stepping on dry autumn leaves!”

Now Pigúiça was curious. First, she sniffed it. It smelled like grass after the rain. Next, she touched it with her paw. It was a little fluffy on top and firm on the bottom. Then she touched it with the very tip of her tongue. Nothing bad happened. Her tongue stayed right where it was, and so did her tail.

So, very slowly, she took a bite the size of an ant. Crunch.

She chewed. She chewed some more. She made a thinking face, with one eye half closed and the other looking up at the ceiling. Tico and Fofuxo waited without blinking.

“Well?” asked Tico.

“It's... okay,” said Pigúiça. And after a little while: “But the crunchy sound is fun. Tomorrow I'll try one more tiny piece, okay? A piece the size of a ladybug.” Fofuxo wagged his tail. Okay was a very good start.

Later, with her tummy warm from soup, Pigúiça snuggled into bed and closed her eyes. And she dreamed of a forest of little green trees, where ants in tiny hats strolled along slowly, very slowly, until they all fell asleep too.

Dogavios: Where Dreams Come to Life

🌙 Tomorrow night, a bigger adventure

Today's story ended happily. But Pigúiça's biggest adventure began on an ordinary afternoon, when a shiny little ball appeared in the garden. She touched it and woke up on Dogavios, a whole planet made for dogs, where she couldn't understand a single word.

What will she find there?

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💡 What this story teaches

Kids often refuse what they don't know, and that's natural. Exploring food calmly, by smell, touch, and sound, with no pressure, opens the door to trying it again another day.

💬 To talk about before lights out

  • What did the broccoli look like?
  • What sound did the broccoli make when Tico chewed it?
  • What new food would you like to try a tiny bite of?
The Little Tree on Pigúiça's Plate

🖍️ A coloring page for tomorrow

Print the free Pigúiça coloring page that goes with this story. Your child can color it tomorrow and remember tonight's story.

See and print the coloring page

More short bedtime stories

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  2. 💛 Not wanting to sleep · 4 min readJust One More Bubble, Fofuxo!Pigúiça wants just one more bubble. Then another. Until Fofuxo shows her where bubbles go to sleep.
  3. 💛 Sleeping alone · 4 min readPigúiça's Brand New BedEvery night, Pigúiça tiptoes into Fofuxo's bed. Until a shooting star and three little knocks change everything.
  4. 💛 First day of school · 4 min readButterflies in Pigúiça's TummyIt's Pigúiça's first day of school, and her tummy is full of butterflies. Then the books start to fly.
  5. 💛 Learning to share · 4 min readThe Bone That Was Too BigPigúiça finds the biggest bone ever and wants it all to herself. But a bone that big is tricky to play with alone.
  6. 💛 Losing a baby tooth · 4 min readPigúiça's Wiggly ToothPigúiça's front tooth goes wiggle, wiggle. What if it hurts? What if it never grows back?
  7. 💛 New sibling jealousy · 4 min readPigúiça and the New Baby BrotherEveryone wants to see the new baby. Nobody looks at Pigúiça anymore. Until she finds something only she can do.
  8. 💛 Telling the truth · 4 min readThe Bee Who Didn't Take the BonePigúiça tells a little fib and blames a bee. But the fib gets heavier and heavier, like a rock in a pocket.
  9. 💛 Shyness · 4 min readDracao Flies Through the HoopDracao is a great flyer when nobody is looking. But today, the whole Cloud Festival is watching.
  10. 💛 Missing someone · 4 min readA Message for GrandmaPigúiça hasn't seen Grandma in twenty-three days. So she finds a way to send her a message on a cloud.
  11. 💛 Anger and tantrums · 3 min readPigúiça and the Tower That FellPigúiça's tower tumbles down and her anger grows as big as a mountain. Then Fofuxo teaches her a trick.
  12. 💛 Losing a game · 4 min readThe Race Pigúiça LostNina wins the race with one big leap, and Pigúiça wants to quit. But Bolota came in last and had the most fun.
  13. 💛 Bath time · 3 min readPigúiça Doesn't Want a BathPigúiça is muddy from nose to tail and says she's squeaky clean. Time for a very special trip across the lake.
  14. 💛 Nightmares · 4 min readPigúiça and the Bad DreamIn the middle of the night, Pigúiça wakes up from a bad dream. Fofuxo knows a secret: you can change the ending.
  15. 💛 Friendship and inclusion · 4 min readThe Friend Who Sees with Her NoseLuna, the new puppy, can't see, and Tico thinks she can't play. Then she finds everyone at hide-and-seek.
  16. 💛 Moving to a new home · 4 min readPigúiça and the New HouseIt's moving day, and Pigúiça doesn't want to go. What if the new house doesn't have the moon?
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  26. 💛 Getting lost · 4 min readTrici and the Singing StonesFollowing a blue butterfly, Trici gets lost in the woods. But the stones know a song that leads home.
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  29. 💛 Hiccups and slow breathing · 4 min readRex and the Stubborn HiccupsHic! Rex can't stop hiccuping, and every hic makes something funny happen on Dogavios.
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🌙 See all bedtime stories

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