DustyOlivia

When my daughter was young she owned many stuffed animals, two of them were her favorites, one named Sunshine Bunny and another named Pink Bunny.  This is a collection of stories about Floppy Ears that I started writing for her when she was about 3 years old.  The originals had hand drawn pictures as well.  Each story is short and simple, hopefully with a positive or fun message.  It allowed me to read her one or two before bed in the evening.  Many of the ideas came from the things she would do and say with her own stuffed animals.  Some of these are the original stories without the pictures which were written over 20 years ago, some are newer that I added just for fun.  This collection my not fit in any of the categories but if you have a kid, they might enjoy listening to them.  The idea is to get them thinking, whether it is about a word they don't understand or how they would handle the situation.  Have fun with it.

Adventures of Floppy Ears

Once upon a time there was a bunny.

Now, this was no ordinary bunny, this bunny was pink with long skinny arms and long skinny legs. This bunny had long floppy ears and I think that was how he got his name. His name was "Floppy Ears".

Floppy Ears was sitting in the garden with his mom, enjoying the warm sunshine on a chilly autumn day. As they sat together, Floppy Ears asked, "Mom, where do the bears go in the winter time?"

His mom smiled. "Ah, good question, Floppy Ears! You know how we bunnies get ready for winter by growing thicker fur and finding cozy places to snuggle up? Well, bears do something similar. They prepare for winter by eating as much as they can to store up energy for the long, cold months ahead."

Floppy Ears' eyes widened with excitement. "Oh, like a big snack fest!"

His mom chuckled. "Sort of! But instead of just eating treats, bears eat as much as they can to build up fat reserves. This helps them conserve energy during the winter when there's less food available."

Floppy Ears thought about this for a moment. "But why don't they get bored just sleeping all winter? Don't they ever want to do anything?"

His mom smiled. "Well, bears don't sleep all winter, but they do slow down their activity levels. They might wake up occasionally to stretch or move around, but mostly they just rest and conserve energy. And as for boredom, I think they find joy in their quiet, cozy winter wonderland."

Floppy Ears looked thoughtful. "Hmm, I'm not sure I could handle sleeping all winter. I like to stay active and play with my friends!"

His mom laughed. "I think you're right, Floppy Ears! And besides, I would miss you too much if you were hibernating all winter!"

Floppy Ears grinned. "Yeah, I wouldn't want to miss out on our snuggles and adventures together!"

As they sat together in the garden, Floppy Ears felt grateful for his mom's wisdom and understanding. He realized that even though bears and other animals have different ways of preparing for winter, they all have their own unique adaptations that help them thrive.

And as the sun began to set on the autumn day, Floppy Ears knew that he was exactly what he wanted to be, a bunny - with his mom and his friends, enjoying the beauty and wonder of the world around him. Plus in the winter, he gets to go sliding.

Chapter 33: Floppy Ears' Hibernation