The DearLittle SunnyRay It'sAugust!Howthe sunlaughs, And now the harvest's here, Just lo o ka t a l l thehappi nes s My smileshavebrought year.

all The oats,the rye,the barley too, Blowin the summer breeze, And through warmevenings, the I dart amongthe trees. Touched with the lanternsl glint.

quite unusual for an elephant. H i s fr iend' s name was Kr ishna.He was a n lndian boy,and he livedwith his par ents in a jungle village. His job was to lo ok after the water buffaloesby the lake,and it was there that Ranialwayscameto visit him. But one day Raniwas ver y wor r ie d, because ther e had been so m uch r a i n that the r iver had swelled and soon i t would flood everything.Raniwanted to save his friend before he drowned. Rani knew wher e ther e was dr y land, but he had to swim because the water was alr eadydeep.M uch lateron they cam et o a deserted town and there they stayed the night. They didn' t wake up until the sun was alr eadyhigh in the sky.

Raniandhis Friend (21

When they looked around them, they saw a stonetemple and old tum bledown houses. The inhabitantsmust have left many years ago, probably becausethey were afraid of a flood. Krishna found some fruit to eat and then they rode on. Towards evening they came to a big town. There the streets were very wide, and ther e wer e so many people you

2nd August
Rani a n d h i s F r i e n d(1 )

Raniwas a younge l e p h a n tw h o l i ve d in the jun g le .H e h a da re a lfri e n d ,w h i ch is

138

c ould n ' t p o s s i b l yh a veco u n te dth e m a ll. Dealerssat out on the streetsunder suns had e s s h o u t in g o u t th e i r b a rg a i ns. Krishna would have loved to buy s o m e t h i n g , b ut h e h a d n o mo n ey. Sudd e n l y i n r u sh e d a stra n g ew a g g on, which although no oxen were attached to it could still move. Krishna had never seen acar beforeyou see! Ranihad never s e e n o n e e i t h e r a n d so th e -p a i ro f th e m ran away in fear. Soon they found

them. Then he had to tell them his story after which the elephantwas given hay and Rania bed for the night.But when i t was night, Krishna crept out to his elephant and undid him , for Rani didn't like beingtied up. Together they plodded out of the town into the night, but by m or ning they r eached the jungle village again. The water had withdrawn, and Kr ishnawalkedtr ium phantly backhome. But he kept going down to the lake,for he had a fr iendther e!

Annie and Bill Annie has a goldfishcalledBill.Annie i s nine year s old and the fish m eans ever ythingto her . On a sunny m or nin g dur ing the holidays,Annie went to her friend Elsie'shousestraightafterfeeding the fish. Tir ed of playingwith the doll s , they begin to play hide- and- seek. Elsie's br other joins in as well. Annie hides in a cupboar d,and when she closes the doo r she locksher selfin. lt' s so dar kinsidesh e can' t see anything, and she begins t o scr eam in fear as she thinksshe' ll nev er
139

themselves in a narrow alley and they were lost,so Krishnaclimbedonto Rani's back and the elephantwent to sleep,but t he'b o y w a s t o o h u n g ry to sl e e p . He c ould s m e l l w a rm ri ce co mi n g fro m a n e a r b y h o u s e , an d h e sh yl y l o o ke d in t hrou g h t h e w i nd o w . Wh e n th e fa mily s aw h i m a n d h o w h u n g ryh e l o o ke d th ey , waved him in and invited him to eat with

get out again. But Elsie'sbrother heard h e r s c r e a m i n gan d o p e n e dth e d o o r from outside and comforted her. When she goes home, she stands dumbstruck at her bedroom door-there standsLux,the big black cat, trying to fish Bill out of his bowl. Annie angrily chasesthe cat away a n d l o o k s s a d l y a t h e r fi sh : ,,p o o r old B ill," s h e s a i d , " L u x h a s b e e n w o rryi ng y o u a l l t h i s t i m e a n d I d i d n ,te ve n kn o w.,' Th"! she imaginedherselfin the placeof the fish, and for a second she felt the t e rri b l ef e a r o f b e i n gsh u t i n a sma l lp l ace lik e t h a t m o r n i n g i n th e cu p b a rd .S he thought about the big fish pond in the p a rk ,a n d s h e d e ci d e d p u t h e r B i l li n the to pond. lt wasn't easyto see him go, but he would certainly make a lot of friends there, for he was so sweet.

Puss in Boots(1) Sitting togetherone fine eveningwere threemiller's sons.The millercameand sat with them and said, ,,1won't live much longer,but you mustn't quarrel when l've gone, tor I shall shareout everythingI have- my eldestson shall have the mule, the secondthe donkey and Michael, youngest, the shallhaVe the cat." Whenthe millerdied,Michael said to the cat, "Whatever shall I do with you?" The cat purred, "Just give me a pair of bootsand l'll makeyou a fine rich gentleman!"At first Michaellaughed, but since the cat insistedhe calledthe cobbler and had some boots made for the bat.The cat was very proud of them and ole day when he was prancing around the marketplace heard the he farmertalking. saidthattheroyalcook He had orderedsome partridges from him, but he didn't haveany and the Kingwas
140

very angry.So the cat took a sackof corn and a rope and went into the wood. Above a certain patch of ground he suspended sackand belowthe sack the he scattered the corn. One bird after anothercameto eat the corn,and when there were sevenbirdson the patch,the cat let go of the rope and caughtthem. Then the cat went to the King.He bowed t9 tl9 King in such an elegint way that ,,1 the King was quite delight-ed. am the messenger of the Duke Michael of Michaelson and Millilouse-on-sea," said the cat. "As a sign of his respecthe has ,,partridges! sentyou sevenpartridges!,, It can'tbe true!" exclaimed King,and the he was so pleased that he gavethe cat a sackof gold. Meanwhile miiler'sson the sat at home,despairing because had he spenr his last money on the cat,sboots. Thenthe door openedand in walkedthe cat with a sack. He opened it up and pouredgold all overthe floor.

6th August
Pussin Boots (21 The miller'sson was delighted with the treasure, whilethe catwaspullingoff but his bootshe said,"That'snot all lcan do for you ! By the way, I've told the King you're a duke!" After that the cat really set to work andcaughtlotsof bootyin the wood - quails,partridges pigeons and and he took them all to the King,who alwayspaidhim a princelysum forthem. One day, while the cat was warming himself in front of the fire in the royal kitchens, old carriage the driver rushed in, grumbling,"Always rushingabout! Todayl've got to drivethe Kingand the Princess downto the riverfora walk!"On hearingthis the cat slippedout of the kitchensand rushedhome."Todayl'm going to makeyou a duke!" he panted, and he dragged Michaeldown to the river. Thenthe catmadehim undress and get into the water and afterwards hid he Michael'sclothesbehinda bush.When

the Kingand his daughter camealongin their carriage, cat boundedup to it the and pretended be surprised seethe to to King there. "Your Majesty!" he exclaimed, 'lffhile my master was bathingsomeone stolehis clothes and if he stays in the water much longerhe'll treezel"Whenthe Kingheard this hesent someone back to the Palace to fetch some clothes.The young man dressed and when he stoodbeforethe Princess, she liked him immediately. The King, thinking thiswasthegenerous duke who keptsending him birds, invited himto get into the carriage.

Pussin Boots(31
After his masterhad got intothe carriage, the cat ran on aheadand he found some people working in a meadow. He said to them, "Who do these fields belong to?" "To the wizard," they replied."Your King is passingby," saidthe cat,"and when he asks you who the fields belong to, tell him they belong to the duke.lf you don't, you' ll be sor r y!" Then the cat ran on further and he came to a cornfield.This field also belongedto the wizard, but the cat told the workersto say the same thing. Then he walked on and came to the wizard's wood, but he told the woodcuttersto say it belongedto the duke. Soon the cat reacheda great castle.The cat febrlessly walked in, even though he knew it belonged to the wizard.When he encountered thewizard, he greeted him with a fine bow. "Most honour ablewizar d," he said "l hearyou ar e an outstanding m agician and can tur n your self into any kind of anim al ,
141

except for an elephant,of course." "Of c o u rs e I c a n tu rn myse l f i n to an ele p h a n t ! " e x c l a i me d th e w i za rd , a nd after a big puff of smoke, there stood a h u g e e l e p h a n t ." My w o rd !" e xcl a i med t h e c a t , "l f y o u c o u l d o n l y tu rn yo u rself int o a t i n y m o u se I'd sa y yo u w e re the best magician in the worldl." "l am the b e s t m a g i c i a n i n th e w o rl d !" e xcl a i med the wizard, and after another puff of s moke , t h e r e s to o d a ti n y mo u se . l n a f la s h t h e c a t h a d g ra b b e di t a n d g o b b l ed it down ! That was the end of the wicked wiz ar d !

"lt to?" And the peopler eplied, belongs at to the Duke."The sam e happened th e cor nfieldand at the wood. The Kingsaid, "You must be a very rich man, Duke Michael, even I haven' t got this m uch land!" W hen they cam eto the big castle, the King' s mouth dr opped open with surprise when the cat came down the stairway and said, "Would your Majesty do Duke Michaelthe honour of visitin g his castle?" After having seen all this wealth,the Kingwas of the sam em ind as the cat had his daughterand, of cour se, thought of it first * the King gave Michael his daughter as a br ide, and his when the King died M ichaelinher ited Kingdom. The cat, of course,became Minister and his opinion was always asked on the most importantmatters,for he was the cleverestin the land.The cat was overjoyedto see his masterand his pretty wife so happy,and proud that he also enjoyed the gr eatest honour and respect.

8th August
Puss in Boots {4} While the cat was getting rid of the wizard, the King, the Princess and Mic h a e l w e r e sti l l ri d i n g a l o n g . Wh en they came to the meadow, the King asked, "Who does this meadow belong 142

When the Day is Over Whenthe day is gver, by, The darkwindwhistles sinkslow down in the west, The sun And the sky beginsto cry. my So go to sleep, littlechild, Don'tlookout at the worldso wild.

the potatoes!Her husbandwas so angry that he cried,"l wish at her carelessness it had grown on your nose, You stuPid wom an!" Oh dear ! Now the big fat sausagewas stuck on Lisa'snose! They only had one wish left and of coursethey had to use it up getting rid of this sausage.When they had made the wish they sat down and looked at each other sadly. Now they still only had what they had had before and the mountain fairy never came back.

1OthAugust
The ThreeWishes

Hubbi the Happy HelicoPter There was once a young couPle who were very happy togethel but they had one f au l t ,w h i c h i s t h e fa u l to f a l l ma n ki n d - the more they had the more theY wanted. One eveningas they were sitting happily by the fire, a tiny white lady came i n. S h e s a i d t o t h e m, " l a m yo u r fri e n d ,a mountain-fairy,and I live in the crystal castle in the hills. I have chosen to give you three wishes, any wish you have sh all b e f u l f i l l e d , b u t I w a rn yo u ! Y a u have one week to make your wishes in think carefully and don't be too hasty." The couple were Then she disappeared. so excited,and they tried to think what to use their wishes on, but they thought they had plenty of time to decide.Then the next evening, as they were waiting for the potatoesto boil, joyfully thinking the lovely about'their future happiness, smell of the potatoes rose to Lisa's nostrils and she said,"Oh ! | wish we had a lovely big sausageto go with them!" Oh dear! Their first wish had been used up! There lay a big fat sausageon top of Dear children, in the next few days we will be telling you the adventur esof We Hubbi the helicopter. hope you enjoy them !

Hubbi and the Blackbirds With the help Hubbi is a little helicopter. of his propellors he can fly into the sky and either keep quite still or flY backwards.Just out of the town stands his little house. One m or ning along comes a blackbir d."Ouick, Hubbi!" it calls in a panic,"You' ve got to help me! Follow me to m y nest!"W hen Hubbigets
143

there, he finds two woodcutterscutting d o w n t h e t r e e , a n d th e yo u n g ch i cksar e c h ir p i n g i n t e r ro r.S o H u b b ifl i e s ri g h t up p t o t h e t r e e w h i le mo th e r b l a ckb i rd i cks t hem a l l u p o n e b y o n e a n d l o a d sth em into the helicopter.They're saved! The bla c k b i r d ss i n g H u b b i a so n g to sh ow t hei r g r a t i t u d e .

until it was cleanerthan ever befor e.But Hubbi' s tank was getting em ptier and em ptie6 so he had to go to a petrol station to fill his tank. The petr ol m en wer e astonishedwhen they saw Hub bi landing,for it' s not ever y day you ge t a helicopteras a custom er !The men filled Hubbi' s tank and also testedthe br akes . Hubbi politelythankedthe men and did a lap of honour ar ound the station,but i t wasn' t long befor eallyou couldhear was the humm ing of his engine.

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Hubbi and the Chimney-Sweep Wh i l e f l y i n g a l on e o n e d a y,H u b b i sa w a town, and sitting on a roof he saw a c h imn e y - s w e ep l o o ki n g a s th o u g h he wa s g o i n g t o b ursto u t cryi n g . " Arey o u s o t i r e d ? "a ske dH u b b i ." l 've an idea , t i e y o u r b ro o m to my d o o r a nd c lim b u p ! " Wi th H u b b i 's h e l p the s we e p i n g b e ca me ch i l d sp l a y,fo r the broo m w a s p u t i n to th e ch i mn e y a nd Hu b b i j u s t k e p t mo vi n g u p a n d d o wn! Whe n t h e y ' d f i n i sh e d ,H u b b i a ske dthe sweep for a favouL and away they flew to Hu b b i ' s h o u s e an d cl e a n e dh i s ch i mney
144

Hubbi and El!en'sSuitcase On the edge of the town is the railway station. The train has just left, but on the platfor m stands Mr s. Simpson with a suitcase,looking ver y upset.W hen she saw Hubbi she said, "l' ve just sent m y little daughter Ellen on holiday to h er

Aun t y E v a a n d s h e wa s i n su ch a hurry Wh s he f o rg o t h e r s u i t c a se . a t o n earth sha ll I do ? But o f c o u r s e H u b b i kn e w w h a t to d o . "Ju s t pu t i t i n m y l u g g a g eco mp a rtme n t a nd l'll s o r t i t o u t fo r yo u !" E l l e n h a d al re ady m i s s e d h e r ca sew h e n sh e sa w Hu bbi f ly p a s t t h e wi n d o w . " Oh th a n k w vou , Hu b b i ! " s h e s a i d ," Wh a te ve r o u l d ! h av e d o n e w i t h o u t my n i g h ti e a n d s u it c a s e ? "

Hubbi Helpsthe Police

Hubbi and the LaundryWoman Cut s id e t h e t o w n l i e s Mrs. Mi l l e r's au ndry . H u b b i l a n d s o n th e me a d o w . "Good d a y , M r s . Mi l l e L " sa ys H u b b i . 'Go o d d a y , H u b b i !" sa ys Mrs. Mi l l e r, 'H o w n ice o f y o u t o vi si t me . Wh e re a re 'iou off to?" "To visit my friends the bl ac k bir d s ! " "Yo u l i ttl e ra g a mu ffi n ," aughs M r s . M i l l e r ,"yo u ca n 'tg o vi si ti n g ook in g t h a t ! " S h e a l re a d y h a d h e r o s cr ubbin g - b r u s h ut a n d so o n sh e h a d s cr ubbe d H u b b i u n ti l h e sh o n e ." l w i sh my was h i n g w o u l d d ry!" sh e sa i d ," B u t the re 's n o w i n d t o d ay!" T h e n H u b b i h a d an idea,a n d h e h a d Mrs. Mi l l e r h a n g h e r a was h ing o n h i s p r o p e l l o rs n d -w i sh !the was h i n g ' ss o o n d ry. After that Hubbi sets off to visit the blackbir ds,who have settled into their new home ver y well. The littlebir ds had alr eady lear ned to fly and they flew excitedlytowar ds Hubbiwhen they saw him coming. After having spent a ver y pleasant evening with them he went home. Becausehe' s happy,he Puts on his ear phonesto listento the r adio,but suddenly the music stops. "Attention please! Attention please! This is the Police!A r ed car hasjust beenstolenand to Citizens easked ar the thief is escaping. police in their investigations." help the view, Up in the air Hubbihasan excellent he sear chescar efully below him. and

! There! A red car r acing nor thwar ds

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Hub b i g e t s t h r ou g h o n h i s ra d i o to the Police: "l have discovereda suspicious car - send reinforcementsnorthwards H u b b i !" Me a n w h ile, over and out Hub b i c a t c h e st h e ca r u p , a n d w h e n she realises she's being followed, she But Hubbi lets down a rope accelerates. with a strong hook on the end and he attachesit to the car'sbackbumper.lt lifts t h e ca r o f f t h e gro u n d a n d H u b b ih o l d sit there until the policearriveand arrestthe thieves. Hubbi modestlyflies away when the police try to thank him. He flies off to seek new adventures.

lovely, the mouse licked himself right inside the cake and only his long tail could be seen.Then an old lady came the resist sight into the shopandcouldn't of this very cake."Ooh! l'll have four slicesof that one!" she said.But just as the the bakerwas aboutto cut the cake, head. The mouse stuck out its little and the baker,in his woman screamed, shock,slammed his fist down into the cakeso that the creamflew into his face and all over the lady'sclothes.But the littlemouseescaped.

The Mousein the Cake(1)

The Mousein the Cake(2)

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upon a time a mousewent Pasta On.ce baker's and looked in through the window. What a wonderfulsight! Now he noticedhow histummywas rumbling slippedintothe shop. and so he secretly at Soon he startedlickinggreedily a big cream cake, and becauseit tasted so
146

The little mouse ran into the baking room, followedby the bakerwipingthe He creamfrom hiseyes. sawthemouse's tail in the flour where the mousehad He hiddenhimself. madea grabat it, but only causeda cloud of dust to fill the the room.Whenthe cloudsettled, baker Wherehad still couldn'tseethe mouse. But the littlebeasthiddenhimself? since long lineof customers, therewas now a he went back to the shoP.AngrilYhe He cake. still had lookedat the squashed cream stickingto his face and now he was coveredin flour.All the customers to started laughat him,andin the endhe had to laugh too. He clearedaway the cake andtidiedtheshopuntilit destroyed was as cleanas before.But, unseenby the everyone, little mousecreptbackin under the counter where there were the With all the excitement, more cakes. and began mousehad got hungryagain, cake. to lick greedilyat a thickchocolate

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T h e n C a t h e r i ne n d h e r mo th e rca me in. a "Tomorrow it's my birthday," said "a Ca t h e r i n e , n d mu mmy's b u yi n g me a ones?" cake-Haveyou got any chocolate T h e b a k e rr e a c h e d n d e rth e co u n te rand u p u ll e d o u t t h e ch o co l a te ke ,i n w h ich ca sat - the little mouse! The next day, Catherine's mother decoratedthe cake wit h s e v e n c an d l e s. N o w th e mo use wasn't stupid and he knew he'd better take this opportunityto escape. Knowing he had spoiled the cake, he took some

flowers from the vase and presented them to Cather ine when shecamein with her mothe[ so as to make up for it. Her m other was hor r ified,for no one coul d eat the cake now, but Catherine was delighted with the little mouse and wanted to play with him. The mouse however sprang quickly out of the open window, leaving the disappointedlittle girl behind. When her party guests ar r ived,she told them all aboutit.

18th August
The Little Town In the night,musicians come, Whileall thetown'sasleep, Theysingto strings violins of Whilethe pennywhistlepeeps. The good old moonshines downon them, And they playtheirtunesso loud, He neversaysa single word, But sweeps throughhisclouds. on

been snoring away for a long time. They always forget to say goodnightand don't pay any attention to custom. That always annoys Lisathe cow.

The Pretty Little House(1) On the meadowall alone, Therestandsa housethat'snot a home, Emptythe cellarandemptythe rooms, The birdsfly pastits lonelygloom. But one day Mrs.Greythe mouse, Movesinto the the saddarkhouse.

A Farmhouse says"Goodnight"

Before the sun disappears behind the m o u n t a i n s s h e sa ys g o o d n i g h t to the j f a rm h o u s ei n t he l i ttl evi l l a g e , u st a s the cock says goodnight to his hens before hopp i n g o n t o h i s p e rch a n d p u tti n g his head u n d e r h i s w i n g . H e h a s to sl eep because he has to wake the farmers at three o'clockto startthe hay-harvest. But t h e h e n s s t i l l h a ve so mu ch to ta l k a b out and they gobble on until the cock comes t o c o m p l a i n . Ho w stu p i d h i s h e n s a re! They've just got a lot of nonsense their in h e a d s .H e h a st o ro u n dth e m u p a n d se nd t hem t o b e d , a n d th e n g ra d u ally everything goes quiet. Then from under the stairs comes a polecat who looks around with flashing eyes for the eggs that the farmer's wife has perhaps left behind. But it's still too bright for he; so s hes l i n k sb a c kto h e r h i d i n g -p l a ce . the In stable, Lisa the cow is licking her calf's dappled hide. Then she says "Moo!" wh ich m e a n s g o o d n i g h t. S h e 's a l so saying goodnightto the tired oxen family and the Curlytailpig family, but they've 148

In the comfycellar shemakes home, her And the housedoesn'tfeelso much alone. ThencomesyellowTiger kitten, And finds the houseis veryfitting. He curlsup by the fireplace, With a happvsmileuponhisface.

So now in the prettylittlehouse, LiveTigerCatand Mrs.GreyMouse. Thenthe livelyFamily Swallow, Are soonthe catand mouse follow, to

The Pretty Little House (2) The little house gets a garden, The flowers bring much joy, And chargingon his scooter, Com esthe happy blonde- hair ed boy. The baby,swallows,cat and mouse, The blonde- hair ed boyall lovethehous e.

Of all the roofsthis mustbe best, To buildtheirsafeand roomynest. The swallows catandthe little the mouse, Havelivened the littlehouse. up Thenone day outside house. the

Then comes Mr. Bailey, W ith his wagging,bar king iend, fr And chasingballsin the gar den, His fr eedom has no end. Ther e' sanimals,peopleand a m ouse, And now a dog in the pretty house.

Of the cat,theswallows, littlemouse, and Alongcomea womananda man, With their babyand a furniture van. Now the prettyhouse gentlysmiles, Forshe is the homeof a littlechild.
149

The pretty house is happy, No mor e will she be blue, The animals,bir dsand peoPle, Have made her dr eamscometr ue. On the meadow not alone, Ther estandsa housethat is a hom e.

At the next window now we see, A s ma l l g r e e nc hi rp i n gb i rd , And such a lovely melody, Th e h o u s eh a s n e ve rh e a rd . Th e l a s to n e i i a l i ttl eg i rl , He r n a m e i s Aq na -L e e ,

22nd August
Out into the Gountry What a surpriseit would be if a car your house suddenlypulledup outside you to go for a drive in the and asked I country. thinkyou would be delighted! cameby in We were when UncleRobert and his new carwith all our cousins, our parents let us go with him. We didn't we even say goodbye because were so excited.UncleRobertdroveand cousin Frank sat beside him. We were only

Shewearsa rosyfrillydress, And is as prettyas canbe. The prettyhouseis happy, No morewill shebe blue,
150

r
interestedin the car itselfand not where was showing we were driving,for Frank us all the differentpartsof the car and what they were used for. So the time passed and we had no ideahow far we'd and gone.ThenUncleRobert stopped we of the before farmhouse found ourselves quaint little village."Everyone out!" a called Frank,and so we all sprangout. We didn't get to seemuchof the farm,for when we arrived,all the farmerswere just going out onto the meadowfor the hay harvest.As town childrenwe were just as interestedin the hay waggon as the the new cat and'when farmerasked us if we'd like to have a ride,we didn't refuse!lt was a very bumpyride,but that didn't matter to us. And then the big scentedmeadowwith all that haywas a to reatpleasure see.We hada greattime jumpingsomersaults hidingamong and the hay bales. We were covered in so much hay you us. could hardly recognise The farmers the waggonsto loaded the balesonto takethem backto the farm.Wewantedto the help, but unfortunately waggonwas already loaded so high we couldn't reach.We were howeverallowedto ride on top, but cousinMary was too scared it because was so highandso shehadto walk. When we got backto the farm we ate milk and thick slicesof breadand butter.On the way backwe askedUncle to Robert takeus out againsometime!

RenpietheFox ln the wood in the dark hollow of a tree lives Mr. Foxand his wife with theirthree sons, Paul,Henry and the cheekylittle Rennie. Mr. and Mrs. Fox aren't there

today, they've gone into the village to his fetcha hen.Rennie bored, is because two lazybrothersareasleep and snoring, so he creepsout of the hollow into the morning light.This lookslikefun! Little deers grazing at the forest edge and Naughty rabbitshoppingoverthe grass. Renniestartschasingthe poor animals they hide, all over the forest.Whenever understones amongthe undergrowth or he alwaysfindsthem.Leave themalone, The littlerabbits to the pond run Rennie! runsafterthem. but Rennie But the rabbitsare more nimblethan he is, and they manageto avoid thg water; but Renniecannotput on his brakesin
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time and he falls - splash! - into the water.,The ducks, flapping theirwings in surffise, make him wetter and wettet qtrdsoon he is covered slime.And then in On top of all that he finds himselfbeing pelted with hazelnuts the squirrelby how the rabbits laugh! With stiff and goesback the tree filthy limbs,Rennie to where his brothersare still snoringperhapsit would havebeenbetterif he'd stayedasleep!

horrified,but the twelfthfairywent to the cradle and said, "l cannot reversethe curse,but I cansoftenit. Sheshallnot die from the prick but shallfall into a deep sleep for a hundredyears and only a princecan wake her!" Evenso,the King burnedeveryspinning wheelin the land.

The SleepingBeauty(21 The girl grew to fulfil all the wishesthe good fairieshad givenher,and everyone loved her.Then,on herfifteenth birthday, she was wandering aroundthe castle on her own. She cameto an old tower.She climbed up the winding staircase and cameto a door.Sheturnedthe rustykey, and when shewent in shesawan ancient woman sitting at a spinning wheel. "Good day,madam:'said the Princess, "what are you doing?" "l'm spinning," said the old lady. 'aVhat's that thing that's spinning around?" said the Princess.But scarcelyhad she touched the spindle,when she prickedherself, and she fell into a deep sleep.But not only did the Princess a5leep, the fall but King, the Oueenand the whole of the Court. The horsesslept in the stable, dog in the yard and eventhe flies on the wall. the The roaststoppedcooking,and the cook fell asleep in the processof giving the serving boy a box on the ears.The wind stopped and all around the castle,a hedge of thorns started to grow up, which got higherand thickereveryyear, untilthe castle couldno longerbe seen.

The SleepingBeauty(1) Therewas oncea King and Oueenwho longed for a child, and eventually, the Oueen had a little girl: She was so beautifulthat the Kingwantedeveryone to see her,and he threw a big party.He invitednot only friendsand relations, but also the wise fairies that lived in his Kingdom.But sincehe only had twelve golden plates,he decidednot to invite the thirteenthfairy.Whenthe celebration was over,the fairiesgathered aroundthe child's cradle, and each gave her a special gift. They wished her virtue, beauty,wealth and all the bestthings in the world. Just as the twelfthwas about to give her wish, the thirteenth fairy storrhedin. Shewas furious that shehad not beeninvited,andshecursed child the in an angry voice, "On her fifteenth birthday, this childshallprickherfringer on a sprinning-wheel die!" And then and she flew out of the room. Everyone was
152

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26th August
The SleepingBeauty(31 PeterCanWalkToday! "Petercanwalk!" someone shouts, The echoflies away, goats, And reaches allthe munching "Petercanwalktoday!" grew, Beauty The legendof the Sleeping for this is what they called her. Princes from many landstried to get throughthe thick thorn hedgeto reachher,but every Many braveman diedon the cruelspikes. years later,anotherPrincecame, many and althoughhe had heardhow so many Princesbefore him had perishedin the thorns, he was not afraid. BY now a yearshadpassed, ashewas and hundred hacking away at the thorns with his sword,the thornsopenedup of theirown accord.He rushedon throughthe castle yard where the guardsand the animals and into the housewhere were sleeping on the flies were snoozing the wall, and to the cookwas still poised strikethe boy. Finally he came to the tower, and he opened the door of the room where SleepingBeautyhad sleptfor a hundred years. When he saw her, struck bY her beautyhe just hadto kissher. Scarcelyhad he done that when she openedher eyesand lookedat him, and handin the through castle as theywalked to hand,the wholecourtbegan wakeup. The horses neighed,the dogs jumPed whilethe cook and the fire burnedagain, boxing the boy's in finally succeeded ears. The Prince went to Sleeping for Beauty'smotherandfatherandasked her hand in marriage. The King and afterthe mostwonderful delighted, wedding was celebrated, they lived happilyfrom that dayto this.
\ *

"Petercanwalk,"hears rubbish the dump, "Listen whilelsay!" gladlythump, bobtails The bunnies' Cos Petercanwalk today!

Boldi GoesBack(11

reading an Tom was lying in a hammock looking exciting story. Boldi sat nearby WhenTom sadlyinto the brightdaylight. his bookand took noticed,he laid down Boldi in his arms.Then the littlefellow started to sob. "Boldi, my little friend, what's wrong?" said Tom shocked. "Please don't Boldi, "DearTom,"sobbed for be angrywith me! | feelso homesick the wood, l've just got to go backthere!" Tomthoughtfor a whileandthenhesaid, we'll "Do you knowwhat! Nextweekend go to the wood wheremy dad hasbuilt a log cabin.Maybethat'sthe wood where you were born!" As soon as Boldiheard

this, he beamed sucha brightsmilethat you'd never thinkhe'dbeensad. Sunday broughtthe sunshine, Tomtook his and bike,put Boldi in the basket, and set off got on the for the river where they steamerto crossto the wood.The wind blew softly over the wateLandthey both felt so happy.When they reached the otherbank, theygot backon the bikeand rode off. Soon they could smell mushrooms and strawberries. Thenthey came to the log cabin,and Boldi ran straightinsideto investigate everything. quitenew for him. This was something ThenTom put him on his lap and asked him if he felt better. By the lookof joy on histace, Boldididn't even haveto answer.

Boldi Goes Back {2}

Tom and Boldi soon made themselves conifortable in the cabin,and by evening Tom's parents were there too. Tom's mother lit a fire and soon it was really wa rm i n s i d e .T h e fl a me ssp a rkl e da n d it , grad u a l l yg o t d ark.S u d d e n l y e y sa w a th pair of big glowing eyes outside the

window, and Tom was terrified until his father explainedthat it was only Mr. Owl. Tom becamevery relieved, but Boldiwas extremelyexcited,for he was ceftainthat he knew the owl, so he waited until everyone was asleep,and crept out into the wood. W hen the owl saw him , he looked,then he looked again,and said, "Aren't you Boldi, the one who went among the humans over a year ago?" "Yes! And you're the owl that persuaded m y par entsto let m e go!" beam edBol di with happiness, now he was sure that for this was the wood where he had grown up, and he just couldn' twait to seeall h i s old fr iends again.W ith this thought h i s heart almost burst with joy, he'd been away for so long! But the owl interrupted his thoughts. "M y dear Boldi, I find i t excellent that you have kept your promise to return, and tomorrow we anim alswill thr ow a huge celebr ationn i your honour !" "That's wonderful, Mr. Owl," said Boldi, "But I can bring Tom too, can't l? "And who is Tom ?askedthe owl, and so Boldi told him the whole story. The owl listened attentively and then he said, "Yes, of courseTomcan come.He cantell us about the hum ans. Allthe animals l l wi be thr illed." The next m or ning, Boldi woke Tom and told him everything.The boy was delightedand couldn' twait fo r the party.
15 5

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Boldi GoesBack(3)
BoldiGoes Back (4) Tom wanted to surprise Boldi and his wife, so he went backto his parentsand told them what had happened and wha t his plan was. His mother laughedwhe n she heard what her son was going to do, and dad set about helping him str aig ht away. Tom was given tools and wood, and after school every day he was allowed to go to the wood. ln the cabinhe set to work with his carpentryand aftera lot of shavingand sticking, had builta he proper little flat for the couple, with rooms and staircases! Another surprise would be the entr ancehe had built int o the log cabin! Tom had worked so hard that it was all readyby Sunday. When the couple saw it, they were so pleased Tom ! often came to visit them, and there were always new things to talk about, especiallysince now there were lots of little hedgehogs r unning about th e house! They all looked exactly like proper hedgehogsexceptfor one thing -they all had little red spikes on their heads,just like Boldi' s.Boldiwasso pr oud!

The day passedfar too slowly,but in the end they went out into the wood. All the animals were there, for none of them were afraid of Tom sincethe owl had told t h e m a l l a b o u t h i m. l t w a s re a lly wonderful! At last Boldi got to see his hedgehog parents and his brothersand sisters, but it was even better to see the daughter of the hedgehogs from next d o o r! Bo l d id a n ce dw i th h e r a l l n i g h t,a n d when the time came to go, he just couldn't leave her, he didn't know why. Then he realisedthat he must love the lit t le h e d g e h o g !S o h e to l d T o m a n d h is parents,and they decidedto askthe owl. The owl put his head on one side and thought for a long time. Then he said, "You'll have to get married, that's the o n ly s o l u t i o n !| myse l fw i l l ma rryyo u ." Then he added,"l know that Tom'sfather h a s a l o g c a b i n ,a n d i f B o l d ia n d h i s w i fe were allowed to live there, then Tom could visit him every weekend and wouldn't have to say goodbye forever!" Tom was so glad when he heard that! How wise the owl was! So next Sunday, B o ldi w a s t o b e m a rri e d ! 156