Once upon a time there lived a little mouse named Crumbkin. His mother, Mrs Mouse, had given him this name because he loved to gnaw on crunchy things with his sharp little teeth. They lived in the forest in a small burrow. The little mouse would wake up in the mornings and scamper off into the forest for a walk. He loved to gather a little bouquet of beautiful purple bluebells for his beloved mother.
One hot summer's day, Crumbkin bounded out of his little home and ran to his meadow to find bluebells. He scurried along the forest paths on his tiny paws and arrived at his special clearing. He looked around and became very upset.... There wasn't a single flower on the meadow, not a single berry....
The little mouse was terribly sad, as he had dreamed of giving his mother a bouquet of her favourite flowers and gathering ripe strawberries to make fragrant jam for winter.
Why haven't the bluebells grown in the meadow?
Crumbkin wondered, and in a gloomy mood he trudged off to visit his friend, a green frog.
The frog lived on a white water lily leaf in the lake and was delighted that Crumbkin had come to see her.
Oh, how hot it is today! Such a stuffy day!
Croaked the frog.
Yes – it's a scorching summer! I was at my favourite meadow, wanted to gather some juicy berries and pick a few purple bluebells for Mother Mouse.
Squeaked the little mouse.
Croak-croak! There's been no rain for ages – that's why the flowers and berries haven't grown. All plants love water.
Croaked the frog.
Ah, that's the trouble! You're right, it's been two whole weeks without rain. Where has it gone? Why hasn't there been rain for so long?
The little mouse was surprised.
Who knows? But there's no rain without a cloud. The wind pushes clouds across the earth, and they pour life-giving moisture called 'rain' onto it.
The frog observed wisely, for she too was unhappy that there had been no rain for so long.
Aha, I understand! To have rain, you need a cloud. I should get my own cloud so it rains whenever I need it to. I'll catch it in the sky and put it in my favourite blue bucket! I'll release the cloud over the meadow, it will rain down on the soil and purple bluebells will grow for my mother and lots and lots of juicy strawberries.
And Crumbkin imagined himself giving his mother a bouquet of flowers and a basket of fragrant berries. But the rain still didn't come. The little mouse sat on a stone and came up with an idea.
Crumbkin took a net and a bucket and set off to catch a cloud. But no matter how high he swung, he couldn't catch the cloud. The little mouse jumped high, climbed up a tall hill, even tried to climb a ladder to reach the sky.
Are you catching butterflies?
Asked the frog.
No, I'm trying to catch a cloud in the sky. I'll put it in a bucket and whenever I need to, I'll release it over the meadow where the purple bluebells grow.
That's a clever idea! Only, no one has ever managed to catch a cloud.
Said the frog.
Well, I'll be the first.
Declared Crumbkin.
And he continued with his difficult task. All day long the little mouse chased after the cloud. But he couldn't catch it.
Upset, the little mouse returned home, wished his mother a good night and went to bed himself. He decided he would continue his important task tomorrow.
But suddenly that night, the long-awaited heavy rain began, and within a week, the entire meadow was overgrown with colourful flowers and fragrant berries. Crumbkin took a small basket and ran off to gather a bouquet of purple bluebells and juicy, fragrant strawberries for his beloved mother.
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Вопросы для обсуждения сказки?
- Как звали Мышонка? Почему его так звали?
- Что хотел подарить своей мамочке Сухарик?
- Почему Мышонок расстроился?
- Как звали лягушку?
- Почему на полянке не выросли колокольчики и земляника?
- Что сказала Лягушка?
- Что придумал Сухарик?
- Как ловил тучку мышонок?
- Как ты думаешь, дружок, поймает ли Мышонок тучку?
