Before we begin tonight's story, I'm so happy to share something special with you.

My daughter, Emily, and I, created a coloring book together called Drift Off Dreams.

It's filled with soothing, dreamy illustrations designed to bring a little calm at the end of the day.

It's now available on Amazon, and you can find the link in the show notes

if you'd like to bring a copy home. Creating this with Emily has been such a sweet project for us,

and I hope it brings you as much peace as it brought us while making it. Now, let's get started with

tonight's story. Welcome back, friends. I'm your host Joanne, and tonight we'll be continuing with

The Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Burnett, reading Chapter 4 of this beloved classic.

If you've been enjoying these bedtime stories, I invite you to subscribe to the podcast, so never miss an episode, and it always helps keep this quiet space ad-free and peaceful.

Now, before we begin, let's take a moment to settle in.

Find a comfortable position.

Close your eyes if you like and allow your shoulders to soften.

Take a slow, gentle breath in

and slide out with ease.

Feel the weight of your body being supported, safe, and at rest.

Imagine yourself wrapped in a warm, soft blanket of calm as the busyness of the day drifts away.

And when you're ready, let's begin. If Sarah had been a different kind of child, the life she led at Miss Minchin's select seminary for the next few years would not have been at all good for her.

She was treated more as if she were a distinguished

guest at the establishment than as if she were a mere little girl. If she had been a self-opinionated,

domineering child, she might have become disagreeable enough to be unbearable through being so

much indulged and flattered. If she had been an indolent

child, she would have learned nothing. Privately, Miss Minchin disliked her, but she was far too

...