The Reading Bug Podcast - Original Adventures, Bedtime Stories and Music for Kids

The Reading Bug Podcast - Original Adventures, Bedtime Stories and Music for Kids

Let’s fly! ✨ The Reading Bug Podcast is a collection of original audio stories for kids — featuring immersive adventures, cozy bedtime stories, bite-sized story snacks, and curious science questions — all brought to life with original music, original characters and vivid storytelling. Listeners can: Travel anywhere imagination can take them in Reading Bug Adventures — cinematic, two-part story journeys filled with characters, music, and audience participation Wind down with Lauren’s Little Bedtime Stories, calming tales and gentle songs perfect for bedtime and quiet moments Enjoy Story Snacks with The Book Worm - short, immersive stories designed for quick listening and big imagination Explore the world through Fact Fly’s One Big Question, where curious “why?” questions lead to fun, kid-friendly science discoveries Every episode is created, written, and produced by The Reading Bug, an award-winning, family-owned, independent children’s bookstore, with the goal of helping kids fall in love with stories, music, and learning. Perfect for car rides, quiet time, and bedtime. Learn more at readingbugadventures.com.

Episodes

Fact Fly: How Do We Know What Happened Millions of Years Ago?

February 19, 2026 • 19 mins
The Fact Fly's One Big Question How do we "read" the history of our planet when there was no one around to write it down? Join Lauren and the high-energy Fact Fly as they investigate the Earth’s own secret diary! From golden tree sap to layers of buried rock, this episode explores how scientists act like detectives to solve mysteries from the deep past. Meet the Fact Fly’s "OG ancestor"—Grandpa Buzz—a prehistoric fly who has been ...
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Bedtime Stories: The Bear Who Painted the Moon

February 17, 2026 • 17 mins
Lauren's Little Bedtime Stories In the heart of the Whispering Woods, a chocolate-colored bear named Barnaby has a secret: he’s not just a bear, he’s an artist. When the moon loses its glow and turns a dusty gray, Barnaby must embark on a steep mountain adventure with a silver pail of Starlight Paste to bring the night back to life. With a little help from a gentle Star-Whale, Barnaby discovers that even a big bear with messy paws...
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Adventure Encore: A Dinosaur Adventure

February 16, 2026 • 75 mins
A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs Parts 1 and 2, combined into a full story. Get ready to roar as Lauren and the Reading Bug leap into the magic book bag for an epic journey back to the Mesozoic Era. In this action-packed adventure, you’ll explore a prehistoric world where Pteranodons soar and wonder—or danger—lurks around every corner. Will you spot a Triceratops, a Parasaurolophus, or even the mighty T-Rex? The stakes...
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Story Snack: The Cave of Shimmering Shadows

February 12, 2026 • 23 mins
Book Worm’s Story Snacks | The Cave of Shimmering Shadows Can you leave your mark on history thousands of years in the past? Join the Book Worm in this frozen-frontier story snack and gear up with parkas and Crampons to travel back to the tail end of the Ice Age . What starts as a journey to discover ancient "Stone Age Beasts" quickly turns into an artistic emergency when a young painter named Luma runs out of red the vital eart...
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Bedtime Stories: The Town That Wouldn't Stay Down

February 10, 2026 • 15 mins
Lauren's Little Bedtime Stories In the orderly town of Plumb-Line, every hat is worn right-side up and the gravity is perfectly reliable—until a Tuesday morning when the muffins start to drift toward the ceiling. As gravity takes a hiccup, turning the town square into a floating party of confused cats and somersaulting neighbors, a boy named Arthur must find a way to bring everyone back to earth. He soon discovers that the "heavy"...
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Adventure Encore: A Dinosaur Adventure, Part 2

February 9, 2026 • 41 mins
A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs Part 2 of 2. Get ready to roar as Lauren and the Reading Bug leap into the magic book bag for an epic journey back to the Mesozoic Era. In this action-packed adventure, you’ll explore a prehistoric world where Pteranodons soar and wonder—or danger—lurks around every corner. Will you spot a Triceratops, a Parasaurolophus, or even the mighty T-Rex? The stakes are high as Lauren and the Re...
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Fact Fly: Why Were Dinosaurs So Big?

February 5, 2026 • 18 mins
The Fact Fly's One Big Question Why were so many dinosaurs gigantic — towering, thundering, and larger than almost any animals alive today? Join Lauren and the ever-curious Fact Fly as they dig into the real science behind dino size! From ancient oxygen levels to super-strong dinosaur bones, powerful muscles, and warm Mesozoic climates, this episode uncovers the surprising reasons some dinos grew to enormous proportions. With fun ...
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Bedtime Stories: The Knights of the Garden Gate

February 3, 2026 • 19 mins
Lauren's Little Bedtime Stories | Original Music When three brave siblings transform into the "Knights of the Garden Gate," a simple walk across their backyard becomes a quest to find the shimmering towers of Camelot. Along the way, they must team up with a grumbly troll to clear a heavy stone and discover that true knightly bravery is found in teamwork, service, and kindness. Every Lauren's Little Bedtime Story includes: Calmin...
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Adventure Encore: A Dinosaur Adventure, Part 1

February 2, 2026 • 45 mins
A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs Part 1 of 2. Get ready to roar as Lauren and the Reading Bug leap into the magic book bag for an epic journey back to the Mesozoic Era. In this action-packed adventure, you’ll explore a prehistoric world where Pteranodons soar and wonder—or danger—lurks around every corner. Will you spot a Triceratops, a Parasaurolophus, or even the mighty T-Rex? The stakes are high as Lauren and the Re...
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Fact Fly: How Do Robots Know What to Do?

January 29, 2026 • 21 mins
The Fact Fly's One Big Question: Robots How do robots know how to move, think, and even learn? Join Lauren and the high-energy, gear-obsessed Fact Fly as they explore robot facts galore! We dive deep into the hardware and software to discover how machines turn lines of code into real-world action. In this high-tech episode, we explore: Sensors: The "eyes and ears" that allow robots to gather data and avoid flying into screen...
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Story Snack: The Bionic Behemoth

January 28, 2026 • 21 mins
Book Worm’s Story Snacks | The Bionic Behemoth How do you fix a robot leg from the inside out? Join the Book Worm in this high-tech story snack and shrink down to a microscopic size to explore the inner workings of a "Hero Leg"—a cutting-edge prosthetic built for a brave elephant calf named Mali. What starts as a curious sanctuary visit quickly turns into a mechanical emergency when sticky monsoon mud and a snapped "Data Vine" th...
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Bedtime Stories: Zibby and the Runaway Robot

January 27, 2026 • 16 mins
Lauren's Little Bedtime Stories In the perfectly tidy city of Sparktown, every machine follows the rules—especially Zibby-9, a serious HelperBot with a "medium" joy level . Everything changes when Giggs, an unpredictably silly Giggle-Bot 3000, zooms into town with a floppy neon hat and a love for juggling spaghetti. When a giant trash-bot malfunctions, Zibby must decide if he is brave enough to trade his rules for "maximum silline...
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Adventure Encore: A Robot Adventure

January 26, 2026 • 70 mins
A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs An Adventure Encore. Parts 1 and 2 combined into a full story. Join Lauren and the Reading Bug as they are whisked into a Robot Adventure at the Institute for Robots and Intelligent Machines. Guided by Roby, a friendly humanoid robot, listeners learn how robots sense, think, and act — from drones and rovers to helpful trashbots and robotic pets. But when Roby discovers that a beloved the...
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Fact Fly: How Does WiFi Travel Through the Air ?

January 22, 2026 • 16 mins
The Fact Fly's One Big Question How does a video "teleport" from the wall to your tablet without any wires? Join Lauren and the high-energy, lag-hating Fact Fly as they battle the “Spinning Circle of Doom” to uncover the invisible science of the internet! We discover how data moves at the speed of light through thin air to keep your gadgets connected. In this high-speed episode, we explore: Radio Waves: Invisible energy ripp...
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Story Snack: A Byte-Sized Breakdown

January 21, 2026 • 24 mins
The Book Worm's Story Snacks Take an unforgettable journey with the Book Worm to fix a glitching computer... from the inside! In this action-packed Story Snack, we shrink down to byte size and zap into a glowing, neon world hidden inside a computer motherboard. Guided by Pixel, a friendly data packet, we race through the Processor Palace, leap across flickering memory nodes, and ride surges of electricity like roller coasters — a...
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Bedtime Stories: Moonlight Marshmallow Mischief

January 20, 2026 • 18 mins
Lauren's Little Bedtime Stories Snuggle up, relax and wind down with another sweet tale from Lauren. What happens when the world's fluffiest treats decide to run away? Step into the Moonlight Kitchen with Lauren for a sweet and sticky adventure through Blueberry Hollow. When gnome chef Poppy Puddlefizz and her tiny robot sidekick Niblet accidentally bring their "Mega-Mallows" to life, they must save the Great Midnight Market from ...
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Adventure Encore: A Robot Adventure, Part 2

January 19, 2026 • 38 mins
A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs An Adventure Encore. Part 2 of 2. Join Lauren and the Reading Bug as they are whisked into a Robot Adventure at the Institute for Robots and Intelligent Machines. Guided by Roby, a friendly humanoid robot, listeners learn how robots sense, think, and act — from drones and rovers to helpful trashbots and robotic pets. But when Roby discovers that a beloved therapy dogbot named Fido is abo...
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Fact Fly: What Makes Computers So Smart?

January 15, 2026 • 16 mins
The Fact Fly's One Big Question Are computers actually geniuses, or are they just really, really good at following directions? Join Lauren and the Fact Fly as they explore the inner workings of a computer. From binary code to the difference between RAM and long-term storage, this episode reveals the high-speed logic behind every click, tap, and sparkly pixel. Discover the secret "Three-Step Dance" of computing and find out why yo...
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Story Snack: Ada and the Mechanical Masterpiece

January 14, 2026 • 19 mins
Book Worm’s Story Snacks | The Mechanical Masterpiece Can a machine made of gears and steam really learn how to "think"? Travel back to Victorian London with the Book Worm to explore the brilliant mind of the world's first computer programmer, Ada Lovelace. What starts as a curious visit to a world of fog and invention quickly turns into a high-stakes fix-it mission to find and fix whatever has broken Ada's Analytical Engine. J...
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Bedtime Stories: Humphree's Heartlight

January 13, 2026 • 17 mins
Lauren's Little Bedtime Stories Wind down, and get ready for bedtime with a charming story from Lauren. Can a tiny robot with a flickering light find his inner glow? Journey to the whirring, neon city of Gearhaven, where Humphree teams up with a lost girl named Junie for a nighttime adventure filled with marshmallow foam, "laser noodles," and unexpected bravery. It’s a cozy sci-fi tale that proves the brightest light in the univer...
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