Noah the Noodle Head was a little boy with soft, curly hair. His hair bounced like noodles when he walked.
Boing, boing, boing!
Noah lived in a bright Galaxy. Purple planets spun slowly. Blue stars winked. Tiny moon-bugs went buzz, buzz, buzz.
Noah had a small round spaceship. It was yellow. It had a red button, a blue button, and a snack box full of apple slices.
One morning, Noah looked out of his window.
“Oh!” said Noah.
A little star was falling through the sky. It went whoooosh.
The star landed on a fluffy cloud near the Moon. Plop!
Its light became very small.
Noah felt worried. “Star needs help,” he said.
Then Lion came padding over the rainbow path. Lion was big, golden, and kind. He wore silver space boots. Clomp, clomp, clomp.
“Hello, Noah,” said Lion in his warm, rumbly voice. “Why is your noodle hair going boing-boing so fast?”
“A star fell down,” said Noah. “Let’s catch it and put it back!”
Lion smiled. “Yes. We can help together.”
Noah and Lion climbed into the yellow spaceship. Noah pressed the blue button.
Beep!
The spaceship went up, up, up.
Past a sleepy comet.
Past a planet with three pink rings.
Past a silly space cow that said, “Moo-n!”
Noah laughed. Lion laughed too.
Then they saw Wolf.
Wolf stood on a dark little asteroid. He had a gray tail and a very big telescope. He was not roaring. He was sniffing and frowning.
“I found the fallen star first,” said Wolf. “It is mine.”
“No,” said Noah, softly. “The star belongs in the sky.”
Wolf crossed his paws. “I wanted a bright lamp for my cave. My cave is too dark.”
Lion did not growl. Lion listened.
“No one likes a dark cave,” Lion said.
Noah looked in his snack box. He had apple slices, but apples could not light a cave. He looked at his curly noodle hair. Boing!
Then Noah had an idea.
“Wolf,” said Noah, “help us lift the star. Then we will find you a better light.”
Wolf looked at the little star. It gave a tiny peep.
“Peep,” said the star.
Wolf’s ears drooped. “All right,” he said. “I will help.”
They flew to the fluffy cloud. The star was small and shaky. Its glow was only a little dot.
Noah held it gently with both hands.
Lion held the cloud so it would not float away.
Wolf used his telescope. “I see a shiny dust trail!” he said. “Star dust can help the star glow.”
“Let’s get it!” cried Noah.
The three friends followed the shiny trail. It curled around a green planet. It zigged past an asteroid. It zagged through a ring of sparkly ice.
Zig!
Zag!
Boing!
Noah’s noodle hair bounced under his helmet.
At the end of the trail was a tiny silver box. It was stuck between two soft space rocks.
“I can reach it,” said Wolf. He stretched his long paw.
“I can pull,” said Lion. He planted his big boots.
“I can press the ship button,” said Noah.
Noah pressed the red button.
Whooo!
A gentle rope came from the spaceship. Lion pulled the rope. Wolf pulled the box. Noah cheered.
Pop!
The silver box came free.
Inside was golden star dust. It shimmered and swirled like happy sugar.
“Sprinkle, sprinkle,” said Noah.
They sprinkled the dust on the little star.
First it glowed.
Then it sparkled.
Then it shone so brightly that all the planets blinked.
The star rose into the sky. Up, up, up it went.
It found its place beside the Moon.
Twinkle! Twinkle!
The Galaxy was bright again.
Wolf looked at the shining sky. “My cave is still dark,” he said, very quietly.
Noah smiled. “We did not forget.”
Lion opened the silver box one more time. At the bottom were three tiny glow pebbles: one pink, one blue, and one gold.
“They are for you,” said Lion.
Wolf’s eyes grew wide. “For me?”
“For your cave,” said Noah.
Wolf held the glow pebbles close. They lit his gray paws with soft colors. “Thank you,” he said. “I will put them by my door. No more dark cave.”
Then the star in the sky dropped one last surprise.
Plink!
A golden star badge landed in Noah’s hands. It said: STAR HELPER.
Noah gasped. “A treasure!”
Lion got a silver badge. It said: KIND LION.
Wolf got a blue badge. It said: GOOD FRIEND.
Wolf smiled a small, real smile.
Noah, Lion, and Wolf flew home in the yellow spaceship. They shared apple slices. Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Above them, the little star twinkled extra hard.
Noah’s noodle hair went boing, boing, boing.
“Good night, Galaxy,” said Noah.
“Good night,” said Lion.
“Good night,” said Wolf.
And the bright stars watched their new friends all night long.