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 bouncing with excitement as he and his mom and sister got ready to go to the Community Picnic in the park. He had heard about this special event from his friends and couldn't wait to see what all the fuss was about.

When they arrived at the park, Floppy Ears' eyes widened in amazement. There were tables and tables filled with all sorts of food, from colorful salads to juicy sandwiches, and even some treats he had never seen before. His mom smiled and said, "This is a potluck, dear. Everyone brings something to share."

Floppy Ears looked puzzled. "How do you know what you are able to eat and what is for someone else?"

His mom chuckled. "Well, you're allowed to eat a little bit of everything, actually. You can try a little bit from each person's dish. Isn't that exciting?"

Floppy Ears' eyes lit up. "Yeah! I can try a little bit of everything!"

As they made their way around the tables, Floppy Ears couldn't believe the variety of foods on offer. He tried a slice of pizza, a bite of a sandwich, and even a tiny piece of something that looked like a cookie but was actually a savory biscuit. And he loved it all!

He tried some new fruits and vegetables, too, like cherry tomatoes and green beans. He even got to taste some international dishes, like Indian curry and Mexican tacos.

Sunshine Bunny giggled at her brother's enthusiasm. "Floppy Ears, you're going to eat too much!"

But Floppy Ears just grinned. "I can't help it! This is the best picnic ever!"

As they sat down to enjoy their meal, Floppy Ears looked around at all the happy faces. He saw friends playing games, laughing and chatting with each other. He felt grateful for this special community event that brought everyone together.

After lunch, Floppy Ears and his family took a walk around the park, enjoying the beautiful sunshine and fresh air. As they strolled back home, Floppy Ears turned to his mom with a happy sigh.

"Mom, that was the best picnic ever! I loved trying all the different foods and seeing all our friends."

His mom smiled, hugging him tightly. "I'm so glad you enjoyed it, dear. That's what community is all about – sharing and caring for each other."

Floppy Ears nodded happily, already looking forward to the next Community Picnic.

Chapter 34: Floppy Ears Community Picnic