Read Along: Oliver Owl and the Silver Moon

As dusk began to blanket Willow Creek, the amber sunlight melted into deep shades of sapphire, violet, and soft velvet gray. High up in the branches of the ancient whispering oak, a little fluffy owlet named Oliver was sitting tightly on his perch.

Oliver had the softest speckled feathers and the roundest, most curious eyes. But as the shadows in the forest grew longer and longer, Oliver tucked his head beneath his little wing.

"The night is so big and dark," whispered Oliver with a nervous quiver. "I wish the sunny daytime would stay forever."

Down below on the mossy forest floor, Barnaby Bear heard the little whimper. Looking up with a gentle smile, Barnaby padded quietly to the base of the oak.

"Hello up there, little Oliver," called Barnaby softly. "Why are you hiding your eyes on such a lovely, peaceful evening?"
"I am afraid of the shadows, Barnaby," confessed the owlet. "When the sun disappears, everything looks so different."

Barnaby leaned comfortably against the mossy tree trunk. "Look up through the leaves, Oliver. Tell me what you see right above the tallest mountain ridge."

Oliver slowly peeked one golden eye out from under his wing. Right above the ridge, a radiant silver moon was rising, smiling down like a friendly lantern. All around it, millions of twinkling stars began to blink, casting a shimmering pearl glow across the forest canopy and the trickling creek.

"The darkness isn't an empty place, Oliver," whispered Barnaby. "It is the earth's softest velvet blanket. The night is here to help all the flowers, birds, and little bears rest their tired eyes so we can wake up bright and joyful tomorrow."

Oliver looked out at the glowing silver moonlight. The shadows that had looked so scary now looked like cozy quilts. He let out a soft, happy hoot, fluffed his warm downy feathers, and nestled comfortably into his nest.

Closing his eyes beneath the loving watch of the silver moon, Oliver drifted off into peaceful, starlit dreams.