Little Bo-Peep

Quick Answer

Why This Story Works for Bedtime

It’s soothing: a small worry resolves on its own. Perfect for bedtime when kids feel anxious about ‘lost’ things—ending with calm relief.

Story Synopsis

Little Bo-Peep watches her sheep, but one day they wander away and she can’t find them. She feels upset and helpless—an emotion many children recognize. The rhyme offers an unexpectedly calming solution: ‘Leave them alone, and they’ll come home.’ In the playful logic of nursery rhymes, the sheep do return, with their tails behind them, as if the world has quietly corrected itself. For bedtime, this rhyme can be read as a lesson in patience. Some problems can’t be fixed by frantic searching. Sometimes the best choice is to pause, breathe, and look again with a calmer mind. You can also add a comforting line after reading: ‘We can rest now, and try again in the morning.’

Story Excerpt

Little Bo - Peep has lost her sheep, And can't tell where to find them ; Let them alone, and they'll come home, And bring their tails behind them. Little Bo - Peep fell fast asleep, And dreamt she heard them bleating ; And when she awoke, she found it a joke, For still they were all fleeting. Then up she took her little crook, Determined for to find them ; She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed, For they'd left all their tails behind them. It happened one day as Bo - Peep did stray Into a meadow hard by, There she…

In One Glance