The Bat Who Loved Daytime Naps

Hugo was not like other bats. While his family slept upside down all day in their cozy cave, Hugo just couldn’t seem to keep his eyes closed. He would fidget and wiggle, squirm and jiggle, until finally—BONK!—he’d bump his head on the cave ceiling for the hundredth time.

“Hugo!” his mother would whisper-shout. “Go to sleep! Bats sleep during the DAY.”

But Hugo’s problem was that he absolutely, positively, completely loved sunshine.

One morning, after another sleepless day, Hugo made a decision. He spread his velvety wings and flew right out of the cave into the bright, beautiful daytime world.

“Ahhhh,” Hugo sighed happily, feeling the warm sun tickle his fur. The sky was blue like a sapphire, and puffy white clouds drifted by like floating marshmallows.

Down below, Hugo spotted a meadow full of flowers dancing in the breeze. He swooped down and landed on a sunny rock that was perfectly warm—not too hot, not too cold, but just right.

“This,” Hugo announced to a passing butterfly, “is the perfect spot for a nap!”

He curled up his wings like a blanket, closed his eyes, and fell fast asleep in the golden sunshine.

When Hugo woke up, he found a little robin perched nearby, tilting her head curiously.

“You’re sleeping at the wrong time!” chirped the robin. “Birds sleep at NIGHT. You’re a bat—you should be sleeping in the dark!”

Hugo stretched his wings. “But I love daytime naps! The sunshine is so cozy and warm.”

The robin thought about this. “Well, I suppose there’s nothing wrong with being different. Would you like to meet my friends?”

Hugo’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yes please!”

The robin, whose name was Rosie, introduced Hugo to all the daytime animals. There was Chester the Chipmunk, who showed Hugo where the tastiest berries grew. There was Delilah the Deer, who let Hugo ride on her head as she leaped through the forest. And there was Oliver the Owl—who, like Hugo, was also breaking the rules.

“I’m supposed to sleep during the day too,” Oliver admitted, “but sometimes I enjoy afternoon tea with the sparrows.”

Hugo felt wonderful. He had found friends who understood that being different was perfectly okay!

But as the days went by, Hugo noticed something. While he was napping in the sunshine and playing with his new friends, he was missing something special too. He never got to see the moon anymore, or the stars that sparkled like diamonds. He never heard his father’s silly jokes at the night-time family gatherings, or joined in the evening flight games with his brothers and sisters.

One afternoon, as Hugo was settling down for his usual sunny nap, he felt a little tug in his heart.

“What’s wrong?” asked Rosie the robin, noticing Hugo’s sad expression.

“I love daytime naps,” Hugo said slowly, “but I miss my family. I miss the nighttime too.”

Chester the Chipmunk scampered closer. “Well, who says you have to choose just one?”

Hugo’s ears perked up. “What do you mean?”

“You could do BOTH!” squeaked Chester. “Take your daytime naps AND spend time with your family at night!”

Hugo thought about this. It seemed so simple! Why hadn’t he thought of it before?

That very evening, Hugo flew back to his cave just as the sun was setting. His family was just waking up, stretching their wings and yawning.

“HUGO!” his little sister squealed. “You’re back!”

His mother wrapped her wing around him. “We’ve missed you so much! But we understand if you need to be different.”

Hugo hugged her tight. “I learned something important,” he said. “I AM different—I love daytime naps in the sunshine. But I’m also a bat, and I love nighttime flying with my family too!”

From that day forward, Hugo lived the best of both worlds. He would take his cozy naps on his favorite warm rock during the day, playing with Rosie, Chester, Delilah, and Oliver. Then, when the sun set and the stars came out, he would zoom back to his cave and spend the night swooping and soaring with his bat family, catching fireflies and playing hide-and-seek in the moonlight.

Some nights, Hugo would even invite his daytime friends to stay up late for a moonlight party. And sometimes, on very special occasions, Oliver the Owl would join Hugo for an afternoon nap in the sunshine.

Hugo’s mother smiled whenever she saw her special little bat. “You know what, Hugo?” she said one evening. “You’ve taught us all something important. There’s no one right way to be a bat—or to be anything else. The best way is to be yourself.”

Hugo grinned his biggest bat grin. He had everything he’d ever wanted: sunshine naps, starry nights, and two families who loved him exactly as he was.

And that night, when Hugo finally went to sleep (upside down in his cave, of course), he dreamed of warm sunny rocks and silvery moonbeams, all mixed together in the most wonderful dream a little bat could have.

The End

Sweet dreams, little one. Remember, just like Hugo, it’s perfectly wonderful to be exactly who you are.

• Tags:
• Animal Stories