On a dry, dusty evening in the woods — the day before the family’s morning hike to the garden — Mouse and his wife filled seven tiny backpacks with books and apples and water bottles.

Mouse was looking forward to tea and a visit with his dear friend, Old Possum. Mouse’s wife had been invited to lunch with Mama Chipmunk and Raccoon. And their children were excited to visit Rabbit’s tea shop, as they’d heard wonderful things about it but had not yet been inside.

(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.