The scorching hot summer was coming to an end. In its place came beautiful Autumn with her easy, unhurried, measured pace. The last autumn flowers—asters, marigolds, and dahlias—delighted the eye with their beauty. Trees transformed with each passing day, changing their foliage from green to deep crimson-red, fiery orange, and bright yellow.
Autumn is the season of harvest. And the riot of colors that autumn possesses touched the apple orchard as well. Apple trees grew in neat, well-tended rows in this garden. Back in early spring, when they bloomed, spreading their fragrance all around, they formed ovaries, from which fruits soon developed. Little rains watered the earth, moistened the leaves, and the apples filled with juice, grew, and ripened.
The saplings, having gathered new strength, began their battle for the harvest. They stretched their branches toward the sun, and the apples gleamed in its rays. And there they were—ripe and fragrant fruits hanging on the trees, asking to be picked. After all, they had worked so hard to grow and delight us with their taste.
Day after day, Uncle Moose walked through his garden, observing the growth of the trees and the ripening of the apples. He realized that he alone could not handle collecting such a large harvest. After thinking it over, he came to the conclusion that he needed to invite helpers for this important task. The main helpers for Uncle Moose became young squirrels, young rabbits, and young bears.
The next morning, the garden gates opened, and a group of excited little animals entered the territory of the apple kingdom. Uncle Moose stood before them.
Have you come to work in the garden?
Yes!
They answered together.
Excellent! Thank you for responding to my request for help.
Come, I'll show you how to harvest. For this we'll need a ladder, since many apples grow at great heights, even at the very tops of the trees. We'll also need two baskets to put the picked apples in.
Before you are three types of baskets: small, medium, and large. What do you think—which basket would be most convenient for putting apples in right after they're picked from the tree?
Which? Which? Which?
The little animals whispered among themselves, not daring to make a decision.
Let me explain! A small basket will hold very few apples, only two or three. A large basket will hold many, but it will be very heavy to carry. So here's the conclusion: it's most convenient to collect apples in a medium-sized basket. Now, each of you take a comfortable basket!
And each helper took a comfortable basket for themselves.
And to interest you even more,
Uncle Moose continued.
I've decided to organize a fun competition. Look: in my garden grow apples of different varieties—they differ in taste and color. So I've decided to divide you into three teams.
The little rabbits made up the first team. They were given the task of collecting red apples.
The squirrels formed the second team and received the task of collecting yellow apples. The young bears became members of the third team. Their goal was to collect green apples.
Why, that's just like a traffic light!
Exclaimed the fluffy red squirrel.
Yes, yes, yes! A traffic light!
The other little animals chimed in.
Now get ready, face the garden and look at it carefully, admire its beauty.
Look, look.
The little rabbit clapped his paws.
The apples, like decorations on a Christmas tree, delight the eye with their multicolored beauty.
I see.
Said Uncle Moose.
You've charged yourselves with positive emotions, and now, before we start work, I want to treat you to apples. I've washed them and I'm happy to offer them to you to try. Eating apples helps reduce the risk of various diseases. And besides, whoever eats an apple a day rarely, if ever, visits the doctor!
The little animals happily began to crunch on pieces of fragrant and delicious apples.
And after refreshing themselves, they scattered to their assigned areas and enthusiastically set to work.
The baskets quickly filled up, and work was in full swing. The little animals became so absorbed in the apple-picking competition that they didn't notice the danger threatening the harvest. Only the smallest bear cub noticed that some apples had holes in them, and little worms were peeking out of these holes.
Oh, what a fat one.
Said the bear cub.
Who? Who?
The little animals ran toward his voice.
Look—a worm. Let's pull it out of there.
And he began to grab the worm with his paw, but it hid inside the apple.
No, we can't handle this ourselves.
Said the squirrel.
It's not alone here; there are worms in other apples too. We need to call someone for help. But who?
I know who we can call to save the apples!
Exclaimed the rabbit.
The birds will help us. I've seen how they destroy pests with their beaks.
And everyone shouted loudly:
Birds, birds, help us! Free the apples from the worms!
The birds heard the call, flew over, quickly did their work, and thus freed the apples from unwanted inhabitants. The animals thanked them, and Uncle Moose treated them to ripe apples.
The harvest continued, and the baskets filled and filled with colorful fruits. All three teams did an excellent job with their assignments.
And indeed, like a big traffic light, baskets with red, yellow, and green apples stood proudly at the edge of the garden.
Now we need to carefully pack the collected fruits into storage boxes.
Said Uncle Moose.
For this, we select apples with a diameter of 6.5–7 cm and weighing about 150–200 grams. I have small garden scales for this purpose. We wrap each apple in paper and place it in the box stem-side up, in a single layer. This way they'll keep better and longer, right through to spring.
What will we do with the remaining apples, for example, the red ones?
Asked the rabbit.
We'll make jam from them.
And from the yellow apples?
Asked the squirrel.
From the yellow apples we'll make compote and preserves.
What will we make from the green apples?
Asked the bear cub.
And from the green apples we'll make the most delicious juice.
Answered Uncle Moose.
You see, each of your teams is responsible not only for collecting apples of a certain color, but also for processing and preserving them.
The little animals worked splendidly. Tired but satisfied with their work and its results, they sat down to rest and enjoy sweet and delicious apples.
Time flew swiftly, and the first shadows of dusk began to fall on the garden. Uncle Moose thanked the animals for their work, and as a sign of his gratitude, gave each one a basket of apples. But he filled the basket not with apples of just one color, but with different colors, so it would be not only tasty but also beautiful.
And besides, my little helpers, I suggest that tomorrow, when you've rested, you draw a basket of apples and call your drawing "Harvest Time."
This way, you'll preserve your memories of the time spent in the garden and the impressions you received here, not only in your memory but also on paper.
Yes!
The rabbits, squirrels, and bear cubs answered in unison.
We'll do just that.
Thank you for inviting us and for the treats!
The little animals said goodbye and went home. Uncle Moose also went to rest.
And only a gentle breeze remained to wander through the garden among the trees and swirl the fallen leaves, as if playing with them in a game only it understood.
Read original fairy tales and you'll not only charge yourself with positivity but also learn many useful things!
