Close Friends
Squirrel and Bird were close friends. They went everywhere together. One day they saw a snowman standing alone in front of a house.
“Look at the sad snowman,” said Squirrel. “Do you think we could cheer him up?”
“Of course,” said Bird. “I’ll sing to him. Music may make him feel better.”
“I’ll give him a present,” said Squirrel. “That may cheer him up.”
Squirrel dug up some nuts he had been saving and laid them in a pile in front of the snowman. Bird sang her favorite songs. Still, the snowman didn’t smile.
“We can’t cheer him up,” whispered Squirrel. “Maybe someone else can make him happy. Can you call the children in the house out to play? Maybe they will know what to do.”
Bird flew to the window and chirped as loudly as he could.
“Listen,” cried a boy inside. “A bird is singing to tell us that it’s a nice day. Let’s go out and play.”
Tom and his sister, Amelia, put on their jackets, boots, and mittens. They ran out to play in the snow.
They saw the nuts lying on the ground. “We can use these to give our snowman a bigger mouth,” cried Tom. “He needs a smile on his face.”
“And there will still be nuts left over,” said Amelia. “Let’s make another snowman. He can have a big grin, too.”
Squirrel and Bird watched the children from a nearby tree.
“Look,” said Squirrel to Bird. “You were right. The children knew what to do. The snowman is smiling.”
“And they are making another snowman,” chirped Bird.
“That’s good,” sighed Squirrel. “Everyone needs a close friend.”
