Mama Chipmunk was still worried about the depth of the snow and was keeping her grandchildren indoors so they wouldn’t get lost.

But as the weather started to warm up, and the little chipmunks galloped around the house — again — crashing into tables and chairs, Squirrel knocked on the door to report that the snow was starting to melt in earnest.

And so Mama Chipmunk relented.

Released into the snowy outdoors at last, her grandchildren (except the youngest, who remained tucked in the library) stomped through the slush, ran circles around the meadow, and pelted each other with pawfuls of wet snow. Hours later, their toes and noses frosty, they happily trooped back home for hot cocoa.

(Late January 2024)

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.