The Three Goats and the Tiny Bee

A boy had three white goats with little bells around their necks. All day the goats leaped and skipped on a rocky hill.

One evening, the goats jumped into a turnip field. The boy called and called, but the goats would not come home. So the boy sat down on the hillside and cried.

A fluffy hare hopped by and heard the boy crying. The boy said his goats were stuck in the turnip field. "I'll do it!" said the hare, but the goats would not move.

So the hare sat down and cried with the boy. A fox came trotting along and heard them both crying. "I'll do it!" said the fox, but the goats would not move either.

So the fox sat down and cried with the others. A big wolf came along and heard them all crying. "I'll do it!" said the wolf, but the goats still would not come out.

So the wolf sat down and cried too. Then a tiny bee came buzzing over the hill. She saw the boy, the hare, the fox, and the wolf all sitting and crying.

"Why does everyone cry?" the bee asked. The wolf told her the goats were stuck in the turnip field. "I'll do it!" said the tiny bee, and everyone stopped to laugh.

But the tiny bee did not wait. She flew straight into the turnip field and landed on a goat's ear. "Buzz-z-z-z!" she said.

Out ran all three goats, one after another! The boy jumped up and cheered, and the hare and fox and wolf cheered too.

The boy said thank you to the little bee. Then he walked all three goats safely home as the stars came out.

The boy smiled as his goats settled down to sleep. Sometimes the smallest helper can do the greatest thing.