My dear girls and boys! You are probably wondering what kind of Sweet Forest this is. In this forest, right beside ordinary trees, grow sugar birches with maple candy leaves, flowers where the pollen is sweet maple syrup, Timbit trees, and so many other wonders that you couldn't list them all. The creatures who live here are unusual too: they can talk, invent things and, of course, make friends. But let's get to know them up close. So, welcome to the Sweet Forest!
The bunny sisters were famous for their cheerful spirit throughout the whole forest. All these little hoppers ever wanted to do was weave flower crowns and nibble on maple candy leaves. They even made up wonderful stories at the forest school and told them to their friends with bursts of ringing laughter.
One day at recess, while playing in a circle with their friends, one of the sisters noticed that Little Quill was standing all alone, only now and then glancing their way with a sigh.
Little Quill had moved to the Sweet Forest only recently, and the children didn’t know much about him. He did well in school and always carried a book. The kids decided he was a terribly clever know-it-all and started calling him a show-off behind his back.
Look, look, see how the show-off is squinting at us! Grumpy, thinks he's smarter than all of us!
He's not a show-off at all, ” remarked the squirrel, “he's a prickly grump!
Yes, yes, yes! ” the others chimed in together. “That name suits him much better!
Days went by, and the little ones kept steering clear of the “prickly grump.” He didn’t approach them either; he just gazed at them for long stretches of time.
One afternoon Hazel was walking home from school. Her little sister was sick, and Mom was looking after her at home. Hazel was humming a cheerful tune with her pink nose twitching when she suddenly heard a sad sniffle. She looked back and saw the hedgehog.
Prickly grump... Oh, I mean Little Quill, what's wrong?
The hedgehog looked at her with eyes full of tears.
Why won't you be friends with me?
Us? ” Hazel was taken aback. “But do you even want to play with us? You never once came over to us.
I'm shy, ” said Little Quill, and covering his face with his little paws, he hurried away.
Hazel stopped to think. She didn’t run after the hedgehog, and when she got home she asked Mom:
Is it really possible that someone wants to talk with others, but can't go up first because they're too shy?
Of course, ” Mom laughed. “You girls are real chatterboxes: you walk right up and start conversations. But some creatures find those first steps very hard to take! Why do you ask?
Hazel told Mom about the “prickly grump” and about her recent meeting with the crying hedgehog. Mom just shook her head.
Oh my, I never expected my girls to be handing out mean nicknames left and right!
Sorry, Mom, ” Hazel felt terrible.
You shouldn't be apologizing to me, you should be apologizing to Little Quill. He wasn't staring at you because he's a grump or a know-it-all. He didn't know how to start a conversation, he's a very shy boy!
The next day the hedgehog didn't come to school. The teacher said he was feeling under the weather. But Hazel already knew what they would do after class. She told her friends about her talk with Mom, and all the children felt very ashamed for calling the hedgehog a prickly grump.
Little Quill lay in bed thinking: “I'll never go back to school again, never!”
Mom walked into the room:
Sweetie, you have visitors!
Who could possibly come to see me, Mom? ” the hedgehog sighed sadly.
We! ” rang out cheerful voices, and the hedgehog looked up in surprise to see his classmates.
Hazel stepped forward:
We decided to come visit you. Please don't be cross with us, and get well soon! We're waiting for you, we still have so many games to play! And this is for you!
The children began laying out sweet treats on the table for the hedgehog: maple candy leaves, berries, little mushrooms and lots of other goodies.
Thank you, ” said the hedgehog, beaming.
Yes, dear children, that's how it goes. We are all different: some of us are very brave, while others, like the hedgehog, are afraid to take the first step. It may seem to us that he's upset with us, when in fact he is simply shy.
