As the school year wound down, Mr. Owl had an increasingly difficult time convincing his students to focus on their lessons.

Although each school day only lasted from mid-morning until early afternoon, with a lunch break in the middle, grammar and history and math were — as far as most of the young chipmunks and squirrels and rabbits were concerned — no match for the temptations of fresh air and sunshine.

So Mr. Owl began to improvise, surprising his charges with afternoon popcorn parties and free-reading time and field trips where they climbed trees and “happened” to learn a bit of botany.

(Late April 2024)

Story © Jennifer Singleton / Read+Purr

This is another cozy Tiny Garden Story in my ongoing series: peaceful 100-word 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.