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- Herausgeber: Little Tiger Press
- Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016
As the stars twinkle on a snowy night, a brave barn owl teaches a little hare not to be afraid of the dark, an adventurous kitten discovers a magical new home and a lonely foal finds a friend to share Christmas with. A heart-warming collection of animal stories, perfect for bedtime reading. Cuddle up and share this delightful anthology with your little ones.
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Seitenzahl: 95
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CONTENTS
THE YULETIDE LOG
“It’s snowing! Look!” Barney raised his paw and pointed through the window of the riverbank lodge. He slapped his paddle-shaped tail excitedly. “Oh, when will Papa get home?”
“Soon, Barney,” Ma Beaver sighed. “He’ll be back very soon.” She looked out of the window and beyond the reeds. Her whiskers twitched and her small ears quivered. It was dark outside and little flurries of snow were racing across the night sky. The light of the moon flitted across the riverbank, making the water appear like a mirror.
It was some time ago that Pa Beaver and Gramps had set off to get the Yuletide log. If they weren’t back soon, the entrance to the lodge would ice over and then they’d never be able to make their way in. The snow was falling heavily now with big blobby snowflakes settling on the pond.
“Come on, kits.” Barney’s mother dragged her children away from the window. “Time to put up the decorations. You make a start on the fireplace while I get the pudding out of the oven.”
Barney turned to his little sister, Polly, with excitement. There was so much to do for the Winter Feast tomorrow night. He didn’t know where to start. Their home wasn’t big, there were only two chambers – one for sleeping and one for dining – but they would certainly do their best to make it look festive! The delicious smells of Ma Beaver’s baking wafted through the air as the two young beavers set to work. Winter nut pudding with maple and cherry bark. Yum!
Barney and Polly dragged a box out from under their bed, and began pulling out all sorts of decorations – red berries, mistletoe, glistening branches.
“I remember when I made this…” Polly held up a fir cone on a ribbon and placed it over the fireplace.
“And we have to put this up,” cried Barney, gnawing through a long line of ivy and starting to hang it across the mud walls.
As the two young beavers worked hard to decorate the chambers, Ma Beaver came back in and placed her winter nut pudding on the table. It was topped with a piece of holly in the centre.
At that moment, there was a gust of wind, shaking the lodge and sending a chill through the chambers.
“Come on,” Ma Beaver shuffled over to the young kits. “It’s time for bed. Look,” she pointed out of the window to where the sun was just starting to rise over the surrounding hills.
“What about Pa and Gramps?” asked Barney.
“They’ll be back before you know it,” said Ma Beaver, glancing quickly at the sun before turning back to her young.
“Are we the only animals who sleep in the day?” Barney asked, letting out a loud yawn.
“Not the only ones,” smiled Ma Beaver. “Now, hop into bed.” She gave the kits a couple of wooden sticks to gnaw on and soon the baby beavers settled down. Their stockings were already hanging from little hooks on their bedposts.
“Tell us the story of Great-great Grandpa Beaver again,” Barney said as he looked up at the portrait above their bed.
Ma Beaver smiled. “On a cold winter’s night,” she began, “when the moon was high in the sky and there wasn’t a noise in the house to wake a water rat…”
Barney snuggled down under his blanket as his mama carried on speaking. “Great-great Grandpa Beaver set off on his way…”
Barney’s eyes started to close. Great-great Grandpa Beaver had been the oldest and bravest of beavers – the first of their kind to bring back the Yuletide log. It had become a beaver tradition for them to burn a part of that old log, along with the new, in the first fire of winter to protect them for the year ahead.
“It was dark when Great-great Grandpa started his journey,” Ma Beaver went on, “but that didn’t trouble him. He knew exactly where he had to go – over high mountains and deep valleys – to get to the redwood forest.”
“He was a long way from home, wasn’t he, Mama?” Polly chipped in.
“He was indeed,” Ma Beaver nodded. “But soon he reached the forest and gnawed a tree down with his bare teeth. The way back was tough, though. He had to roll the tree along the ground with his feet, until he reached water. Then he was able to swim with it, until he came to—”
“A waterfall!” Barney interrupted.
Ma Beaver smiled patiently. “The tree tumbled down the waterfall, with Great-great Grandpa clinging on for dear life. Finally he reached dry land, but then he had to do battle with a mink who tried to steal the tree from him. Great-great Grandpa nearly lost it, but he fought hard and won it back. The journey took him under many moons and across many crevasses. He even had to use the log like a beam, to get across a ragged ravine until finally, he reached home,” Ma Beaver finished.
The lodge felt warm and snuggly and soon the two young kits were fast asleep with dreams of a brave warrior beaver in their heads…
Ma Beaver smiled. She looked out over the water’s edge as the snow continued to fall. Just where were Papa and Gramps? She waddled down the tunnel to the water, but she didn’t want to go too far and leave her kits alone. As she stared out into the darkness, she felt a cold chill, like a stone, in the pit of her stomach.
When Barney woke, the lodge felt cold after the cosy warmth of bedtime. He shivered and stretched his legs. His sister was snoring softly. His mama was asleep in the rocking chair by the window. Papa and Gramps clearly weren’t back yet.
Barney thought hard. He couldn’t just sit there, waiting. He would go and look for them. After all, he was descended from the bravest and noblest of beavers.
Quick as a flash, he stole past Ma and hurried down the tunnel, his paddle flapping from side to side. The tunnel ducked down and left, and soon Barney hit water. It was even colder than the lodge and there was a strong current, which seemed wrong. Barney pushed himself forward, kicking out with his webbed feet until he reached the surface.
He sniffed the air, his head bobbing one way, then the other. Something wasn’t right. He could feel it in his bones and in the pull of the water.
Quickly he swam upstream, his little feet propelling him onwards, his tail acting like a rudder. It was eerie outside and there might be many a wild predator who would be glad for a tasty young beaver like him.
Barney felt frightened as he scented the air. His sight wasn’t good, but his sense of smell was strong and something felt wrong.
“Papa…” he cried, his teeth chattering. “Gramps…” His voice echoed out over the woods.
By the watery sunlight, Barney reached the end of the pond. He could see the criss-crossing branches and twigs that made up the dam, but there was rushing water plunging through it. So that was why there was a current in their pond! If the dam burst, their lodge would be swept away. Then Barney saw Pa and Gramps, trapped under a tree trunk against the dam!
“Papa!” Barney rushed forward. “What happened?”
“We were chopping down a tree for the Yuletide log, but it fell on top of us and smashed through the dam,” his papa called urgently. “Can you push it off?”
Barney scampered up. He heaved and heaved, but he couldn’t move the trunk. It was too heavy. He looked over his shoulder. There wasn’t time to go back and get help.
“Use your teeth, Barney,” Pa Beaver said.
One … two … three sharp bites – nothing. The log didn’t move. Barney wasn’t making any progress. But his teeth were sharp. He tried again, gnawing and gnawing, until a noise like a drill sounded throughout the forest. Wood chips flew.
Kerchung!
The tree split in two and Papa and Gramps slipped into the pond. More water was gushing through the hole in the dam now. There wasn’t a moment to lose.
Quickly the beavers set to work, passing each other sticks and branches to plug the hole before finally packing it with mud. It was dangerous work and they could have been carried off at any point, but just when Barney thought that they were never going to manage it, the water stopped.
Pa Beaver gave his son a hug. “You’ve done it! You’ve done it, Barney!”
“It’s getting late! We must get back to the lodge,” said Gramps. “Can you give me and your pa a paw to help with the log?”
The three beavers grabbed one half of the log that Barney had split in two and swam, gently pushing it through the water until they reached the lodge entrance. They paddled up, tugging the log behind them.
Ma Beaver was the first to meet them. “Thank goodness you’re back!” she cried. “I’ve lost Barney… He’s missing!” Then she saw her little kit behind Pa Beaver and reached out her paws to hug him.
Quickly Pa Beaver told her everything – how the tree had fallen on them as they’d gnawed it down, damaging the dam, and how Barney had rescued them before helping to block up the hole together.
Ma Beaver was cross that Barney had gone off on his own, but she couldn’t be angry for long – not when her family was safe and sound. She looked at her son. He really was a daring little beaver.
And now the light was just starting to fade. The day of the Winter Feast was almost upon them. Polly ran into the dining chamber excitedly.
“Here’s the Yuletide log,” said Pa Beaver, placing a piece of the new log in the grate, along with the old embers from last year. Then he bent down to light it and the flames licked over them. Barney danced round the fire.
Barney’s heart skipped a beat – he could see the stockings by his bed, and they were spilling over!
“Mama! Papa!” he squeaked, pointing. “Can we open them?”
“Of course,” Pa Beaver smiled, gathering his family in a big hug. “Let the Winter Feast begin!”
