As he did each year for the annual fair, held on the last day of school, Mr. Owl had decorated the schoolroom with bookish art and bunting.

Raccoon had brought lemonade for the children; strong, hot coffee for the adults; and cake.

And on all the tables and desks were stacks of books, organized by type: picture books, story books, fairy tales, histories, mysteries, puzzle books, gardening books, and cookbooks; in short, anything anyone might want to read for fun during their summer vacation.

As payment for books, Mr. Owl accepted buttons; tiny polished rocks; freshly baked cookies; dried, pressed leaves; and from one particularly shy young squirrel, a hand-drawn self-portrait with his teacher.

(May 2023)

Story & Photo © Jennifer Singleton / Read+Purr

This is another vignette in my ongoing series of Tiny Garden Stories: peaceful 1-minute tales, full of cozy vibes, delicious details, and generous dollops of imagination & whimsy. Click one of the first two buttons below to go to (or back to, if that’s where you fell down the rabbit hole) either the Public Garden archive page or (if you’re a Story Club member) to the Private Garden page. Or click the third button to learn more about my Tiny Garden Stories. Want each week’s featured story delivered directly to your inbox? Subscribe to my Substack.