Daily life
Oliver and the Windy Market Day
Oliver the fox loves Briar Hollow's Market Day, but a big wind scatters signs, baskets, and ribbons. He tries to fix everything by himself, then learns from Old Willow that a market takes many paws working together. Friends and neighbors restore the square just in time for the visitors.
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25 pagesPage 1
In the little woodland town of Briar Hollow, every Saturday was Market Day. Oliver the young fox loved it more than anything. He loved the honey buns, the bright ribbons, and the happy noise of all his friends.
Page 2
On Friday night, Oliver hopped into bed. "Tomorrow is Market Day!" he whispered. Outside, the wind began to hum. "Whoo-oo," it sang through the trees. Oliver pulled his blanket up to his chin and smiled.
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On Saturday morning, Oliver woke up to a big noise. WHOOSH! The wind had blown all night. He ran outside and gasped. Signs were in the bushes. Baskets rolled down the lane. Ribbons were stuck in the tall oak tree.
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"Oh no!" said Oliver. "The visitors will be here soon, and the market is a mess!" He looked at the tumbledown square. He looked at the empty stalls. Then he stood up tall. "I will fix this all by myself."
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Oliver grabbed the biggest basket he could find. He pushed it up the hill. He pulled it over rocks. He tripped on a ribbon and sat down in the grass. The basket rolled all the way back down. "Hmm," said Oliver.
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So Oliver went to the baker. Mrs. Bramble the badger was sweeping flour off her steps. "Good morning, Oliver," she said. "My bread sign flew away. But I have warm loaves, and I have two strong arms."
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"Thank you!" said Oliver. He tucked the loaves into his basket. They smelled so good that his tummy rumbled. "Not yet," he told his tummy. "First we work. Then we eat."
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Next, Oliver knocked on the gardener's gate. Mr. Thistle the hedgehog was untangling a string of paper flowers. "The wind took my flower boxes," he said. "But I found them in the pond. They are only a little wet."
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"We can dry them in the sun," said Oliver. Mr. Thistle smiled and put on his little red boots. "I am coming with you," he said.
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At the rabbit family's burrow, three little rabbits were hopping in circles. "Our carrot baskets rolled away!" they cried. "We cannot find them anywhere!" Oliver looked left. He looked right. Then he saw one basket upside down on a sleepy rabbit's head.
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"There it is!" laughed Oliver. The rabbit family laughed too. Mama Rabbit packed the carrots, and the little rabbits carried them two by two.
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Last, Oliver climbed to the old owl's tree. Old Willow the owl was wide awake, which was very unusual. "I saw everything," she hooted. "Signs in the brambles. Ribbons in the oak. And one small fox trying to do it all alone."
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Oliver's ears went flat. "I thought I could fix it by myself," he said. Old Willow blinked her big round eyes. "A market is not one pair of paws," she said. "It is many pairs of paws, all working at once."
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Oliver looked down at the square. Mrs. Bramble was stacking loaves. Mr. Thistle was hanging wet flowers. The rabbits were lining up carrots. Everyone was already helping, and nobody had asked them to.
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"You are right," said Oliver. "Let's do it together!" He climbed the oak and tossed the ribbons down. Mr. Thistle caught them. The rabbits tied them to the stalls. Mrs. Bramble set out her warm bread.
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Old Willow flew over the square and called out what she could see. "Sign by the fountain! Basket by the fence! One blue ribbon on the roof!" Everyone ran to the right spot, all at the same time.
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Oliver found the big wooden sign in the brambles. It was too heavy for one small fox. "I need help!" he called. Mrs. Bramble took one end. Mr. Thistle took the other. Together they carried it to the middle of the square.
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The little rabbits climbed up and painted the sign. "BRIAR HOLLOW MARKET," it said, in bright yellow letters. One rabbit added a wobbly sun. "That is the best part," said Oliver.
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Then the wind came back. WHOOSH! It lifted the new sign right off its post. Everyone froze. Oliver's heart went thump. "Hold on!" he shouted. "Everybody grab a corner!"
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Four paws held the sign. Four more paws held the ribbons. The rabbits held the baskets. Even Old Willow spread her wide wings and blocked the wind. Slowly, slowly, the wind gave up and went away.
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They tied the sign down with three strong knots. They put stones on the baskets. Mr. Thistle's flowers dried in the sun, and they looked even brighter than before.
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DING! DING! The town bell rang. The visitors came down the lane. They saw the bright sign, the warm bread, the orange carrots, and the flowers in every color.
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"What a beautiful market!" said the visitors. "It is even better than last week!" Oliver grinned so wide that his whiskers curled. Mrs. Bramble gave him the very first honey bun.
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"You saved Market Day," said Old Willow. "No," said Oliver, with his mouth full of honey bun. "We saved Market Day. That is much better."
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That night, Oliver hopped into bed with a happy, tired tummy. Outside, the wind hummed softly through the trees. "Whoo-oo," it sang. "Next Saturday," whispered Oliver, "we will do it all together again."