Now that both Rabbit and Mama Chipmunk knew about Squirrel’s not-so-secret-anymore giant balloon, he realized that he might as well tell the birds about it, too, as he would probably need to ask for their help with the braiding.

You see, Squirrel was going to need rope — quite a lot of braided rope, actually, in a variety of lengths and thicknesses.

And so he explained his balloon plan to the birds.

Later that day, the wrens set about twisting bits of Squirrel’s cobweb stash into thin yet strong webbing, while the robins and cardinals and blue jays foraged for long blades of grass and thin, pliable twigs. And after they’d piled up heaps of material, they settled in for a late-evening braiding party, complete with a sing-along.

(September 2023)

Story © Jennifer Singleton / Read+Purr

This is another vignette in my ongoing series of Tiny Garden Stories: peaceful 1-minute tales that let you read like a kid again. 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 members-only “Private Garden” page. Or click the third button to learn more about my Tiny Garden Stories. If you’re new to Tiny Garden Story-land and would like 10 days’ worth of stories from our first year, visit ReadPurrNewsletter.com.