Bakers At Night
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Hello friends and welcome to Bedtime Stories with Mr. Jim. I was just getting ready for bed. Are you as well? Oh good. I hope you brushed your teeth and found all of your comfy things like pillows and blankets and stuffies. Oh yes, oh good. Well, as long as you have all those things ready,

Then it's time for our story. But first we must close our eyes so that we can travel to an imaginary world. The moon was high in the sky when Brooks, the baker's alarm, went off. He quietly got dressed in his chef coat and hat and headed towards his bakery.

The world was dark as everyone in his neighborhood was still sleeping and dreaming. But not Brooks. Brooks had an important job to do. He unlocked his bakery and stepped inside. The display case was empty, waiting to be filled with all of Brooks' creations. He patted the case as he stepped into his kitchen. Hello, old friend Brooks.

He greeted his rolling pin. Together they would make delicious breakfast treats for the shop. Brooks sprinkled flour across his table and began to make dough. He got to work on biscuits and cinnamon buns, toaster pastries, and croissants. As Brooks worked, the moon moved through the sky.

The stars watched the sugary, frosted donuts and licked their lips, wishing they could try some. The smell of warm butter and sugar escaped from the chimney and made the town smell sweet. Ralphie the raccoon was just waking up for the night when he smelled something delicious outside his den. He followed the scent with his nose as his tummy roared.

rumbled along. He made it through town, skipping from one rooftop to the next, until he was in front of a chimney. He stuck his nose inside and took a big sniff. His mouth watered, and he wanted to get closer to the smell, but it was dark, and he couldn't see anything, so he leaned over just a bit more, and oof!

Ralphie tumbled down the chimney and plopped down on the hard brick bottom. He could hear humming and saw puffs of white powder flying around. Dusting himself off, he followed his nose to a table where he jumped up, found a feast of pastries and other breakfast treats. Ralphie went to grab some

A chocolate croissant when he heard a voice from across the table. "Hey!" Ralphie jumped, startled. He looked to see a man with a funny white hat frowning in his direction. He thought the man was getting ready to shoo him away, angry that he was on his table. But instead, Brooks the baker asked, "Did you wash your hands?"

Brooks led Ralphie the raccoon over to the sink and showed him how to turn the water on and use the soap dispenser. Brooks explained, "You should always wash your hands before baking in the kitchen." "Baking?" thought Ralphie the raccoon. Who said anything about baking? But he followed Brooks back to the table anyway. Ralphie tried to reach the chocolate croissant again

And this time Brooks didn't stop him. The raccoon munched away happily while Brooks got back to work. Ralphie watched as the baker set out a second bowl and hand mixer. Then he waited as Ralphie finished. "Okay, come on over here. It's time to mix up some batter." Ralphie the raccoon had no idea what he was talking about.

But the baker had been kind enough to let him stay and eat, so he did as he was told. The raccoon stood in front of the second bowl and watched as the baker cracked eggs into his own. "'That looks easy,' thought Ralphie, and he used his little paws to crack eggs into his own bowl. Then he put in the flour and sugar, just like the baker did."

Once all their ingredients were in, the baker said, Okay, now it's time to mix. The baker picked up his hand mixer and turned it on. A loud whirring sound filled the room. Ralphie covered his ears and watched until the baker nodded at him, encouraging him. Okay, little guy, your turn. Ralphie the raccoon looked at the second hand mixer.

with its shiny metal whisks and intimidating buttons. Then he dove both hands into the bowl and began waving them through the ingredients. The baker laughed and shook his head. Okay, that batch will just be for you then. Then he let Ralphie finish mixing with his arms. By the time a smooth batter had formed, the raccoon's arms were sticky and wet with gooey batter.

He began to lick it, and the baker sent him back to the sink before they continued. Then together, the baker and the raccoon poured each of their batters into their own cake pans. They carried them carefully to the oven, and the baker placed them inside. Ralphie watched as the oven glowed and the cakes began to rise.

transforming from liquid to solid before his eyes. As he watched, the baker whipped together the crumbly cinnamon sugar topping for the coffee cakes. "Ding!" This sound rang throughout the kitchen, causing Ralphie to jump. The baker smiled and pulled the golden cakes out. The smell made Ralphie's tummy rumble again.

He jumped back onto the table and helped the baker put the topping on the cakes. Then he gave Ralphie his own cake as promised. The raccoon sat down, happily scarfing down the cake with his little paws. By the time he was full and the cake pan was empty again, the sky was turning a light gray. Soon the sun would be up and the baker's first customers would arrive.

The display case was full of donuts, cakes, and pastries ready and waiting for hungry customers to arrive. Ralphie waved goodbye and the baker waved back. Come back tomorrow and I'll teach you how to bake a strudel. Back at Ralphie's den, the sun had risen and brightened the sky. Ralphie dreamed of baked goods and bakers.

Even in his dreams, he was excited to return back to the bakery tomorrow night to bake some more. Well, friends, as we close our eyes and drift off to sleep, may you all have very sweet dreams. Good night.