A GIFT FOR GRANDMA

Rosie the pink piglet has been excited about the forest carnival all week! She decided to go with Mr. Bunny, little puppy and her classmate, the little black cat.

On the day of the forest carnival, the park was filled with colorful lights and balloons! Rosie and her friends planned to play every game and ride every rollercoaster. The toy car was their first target.

Vroom! Vroom! Little puppy beat the others to be the champion of the toy car race!

Tap! Tap! They watched a magical circus show performed by agile elephants and a cute deer.

Whoosh! Whoosh! They rode the thrilling dragon rollercoaster. Everyone had fun, except the little black cat who felt a bit dizzy when he stepped off the ride.

Click! Clack! They had a spin on the Ferris wheel! The wheel took their cabin so high, they could almost touch the stars!

Then a cupcake stall caught their eyes. They each bought a cupcake. One cupcake, two cupcakes, three cupcakes...

“Wait!” Rosie realized something. “Why are there only three of us here!?”

“Little black cat is not here. Where did he go?” Mr. Bunny asked the others.

The gang rushed back to the toy cars, but they couldn’t find little black cat there.

They ran to the magical circus – little black cat was not there – and then ran to the dragon rollercoaster. Little black cat was not there, either.

Finally, they ran as fast as they could to the Ferris wheel. Right there sleeping in the cabin was little black cat! Thank goodness he’s alright!

Rosie woke little black cat up and happily shared her strawberry cupcake with him.

Then they all headed home together. Hooray! What a wonderful day at the carnival!

Deep in the woods there lived a bear family. Tommy the bear was the youngest member of the family.

Staring at the sky every night, he always wondered if he could someday catch the moon.

One night, Tommy decided to try.

First, he ran up to the top of the mountain to get closer to the moon. He leaped as high as he could go, pushing himself off the ground, but his fingers clasped only the thin, empty air.

So he climb up a tree and tried to catch the moon again... But the moon sailed away even as he climbed higher. Further and further away did it stray... Tommy’s plan did not work. Tommy was upset. He sat on a branch and started talking with Oliver the night owl who was perched on a higher branch.

Coral the unicorn walked by, heard voices up in the trees, and looked up to see Tommy and Oliver high up in the branches.

“What are you doing up there, Tommy?” asked Coral.

“I thought I could reach the moon by climbing up high,” explained Tommy.

“The moon is so, so, SO much further than you imagined, kid,” Coral laughed, “I can’t reach it even though I can fly. That’s why your mom says she loves you to the moon and back!”

“Oh... is there any way I can get closer to it?” Tommy asked. “Could you tell me more about the moon and the sky?” Tommy would not give up.

“Do you want to hear my stories? Or would you like to see for yourself?” asked Coral, looking up at him.

“Really? Can I really see the sky myself?!” asked Tommy. “I really want to get a bit closer to the moon! Could you please take me with you up into the sky for once?” Tommy pleaded with all his heart.

“Of course, I’d love to, my dear little friend. Would you like to go right now?” answered Coral with a smile.

“Yes, yes, yes!!” shouted Tommy, jumping up and down, shaking the trees with his excitement.

And so, with Tommy on her back, Coral flew off up into the air, climbing higher and higher, with Tommy squealing in delight. He held on tightly to Coral. Looking up, the bright moon and the twinkling stars seemed a little bit closer, though they were still impossible to reach. But looking down at the ground that seemed so very far away, Tommy was amazed by what he saw. The houses and trees looked like his building toys. The river looked like a blue line drawn on one of his coloring books. Birds flew past him chirping a friendly greeting and he waved at them in return.

Soon it was time to return to the ground. “Thank you so much, dear Coral!” Said Tommy when he landed and hugged Coral tightly. Tommy went back home and fell asleep satisfied, staring at the moon as usual. That night, he had the sweetest dream ever.